Induced Electric Fields Inhibit Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis and Modulate the Immune Tumor Microenvironment.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Biophysics

Background:

• Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents significant treatment challenges.
• Current therapeutic strategies for TNBC have limitations, necessitating novel approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of non-invasive alternating, low-intensity induced electric fields (iEFs) in suppressing TNBC growth and metastasis.
• To evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of iEFs on the tumor microenvironment and metastatic sites.

Main Methods:

• Orthotopic TNBC mouse models were treated with non-invasive iEFs (100 kHz, 2.7 mV/cm peak) using a solenoid coil system.
• Tumor growth, lung metastasis, and immune cell profiling (T cells, myeloid cells) were assessed.
• Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was evaluated to assess metastatic potential.

Main Results:

• iEF treatment significantly reduced primary tumor growth and lung metastases.
• iEFs decreased immunosuppressive myeloid cell infiltration in primary tumors.
• In lung metastases, iEFs increased CD8+ T cell abundance and reduced immunosuppressive myeloid populations.
• iEFs inhibited EMT, reducing cancer cell metastatic potential.

Conclusions:

• Induced electric field therapy enhances anti-tumor immunity in TNBC.
• iEFs suppress metastatic progression by modulating T cell activity and myeloid cell populations.
• Non-invasive iEFs represent a promising immunomodulatory strategy for metastatic TNBC.