Apparatus and method for optimizing and adapting treatment of multiple tumors in patients with metastatic disease by electric field

A method of delivering tumor treating electric fields to a body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• placing mimicked tumors, representative of tumors in the patient, in a phantom;
• positioning simulated arrays of simulated electrodes on the surface of the phantom;
• implementing at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays of simulated electrode elements for targeting the mimicked tumors, the at least two subarray firing configurations depending at least in part upon a spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors;
• running simulated TTF treatments of the mimicked tumors using selected pairs of electrodes in the mimicked arrays to determine a field strength in the mimicked tumors;
• altering electrical parameters including a frequency and an amplitude of an electrical signal applied to the selected pairs of electrodes on the phantom;
• repeating the running and altering steps until a selected field strength of the electrical signal is obtained in the mimicked tumors with the electrical parameters of the electrical signal;
• implementing arrays of electrodes on the patient that correspond to the simulated arrays;
• and
• treating the tumors in the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient that correspond to the parameters of the selected pairs on the phantom and the spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors.

A tumor treating apparatus comprising a TTF generator configured to execute a method of delivering tumor treating electric fields to a body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• obtaining an image and locations of tumors in the patient;
• placing mimicked tumors, representative of the tumors in the patient, in a phantom;
• positioning simulated arrays of simulated electrodes on the surface of the phantom;
• implementing at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays of simulated electrodes for targeting the mimicked tumors, the at least two subarray firing configurations depending at least in part upon a spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors;
• running simulated TTF treatments of the mimicked tumors tumor using selected pairs of electrodes in the mimicked arrays to determine a field strength in the mimicked tumors;
• altering electrical parameters including a frequency, a shape of a waveform and an amplitude of an electrical signal applied to the selected pairs of simulated electrodes on the phantom;
• repeating the running and altering steps until a selected field strength of the electrical signal is obtained in the mimicked tumor with the electrical parameters of the electrical signal;
• implementing arrays of electrodes on the patient that correspond to the simulated arrays;
• and
• treating the tumors in the patient by using the at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays and the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient that correspond to the parameters of the selected pairs on the phantom.