Methods and System for Stimulating Immune Response Against an Existing Cancer in a Patient

Abstract

Increasing the immune response to a given cancer in a patient through increasing lymphatic flow out of the cancer region, following a primary action of the cancer that loads professional antigen-presenting cells/dendritic cells (APCs/DCs) with tumor-associated antigen (TAA) from the tumor into the interstitial fluid of the cancer region. Example primary actions are radio-therapy, both stereotactic and brachytherapy using implanted seeds, proton-therapy, and chemical- or radio-pharmaceutical therapy. Intra-capillary micro-bubbles in the tumor are brought to vibrate with incident ultrasound of appropriate frequency and amplitude, producing vibrations in the extra capillary tissue that produces an outward acoustic radiation force and micro shear waves in the tissue that increases transport of the interstitial fluid. This increases an outward flow from the proximal capillaries, increasing the interstitial fluid pressure that increases lymphatic outflow including APCs/DCs with TAA to primary draining lymph nodes (DLNs).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.