Patent ID: 8244345
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A method of selectively destroying or inhibiting the growth of rapidly dividing cells located within a target region of a patient, comprising the steps of: (a) imposing a first AC electric field in the target region of the patient, the first electric field having a first frequency, wherein the first electric field has frequency characteristics that correspond to a vulnerability of the rapidly dividing cells, wherein the first electric field is strong enough to damage, during late anaphase or telophase stages of cell division, a significant portion of the rapidly dividing cells whose long axis is generally aligned with lines of force of the first electric field, and wherein the first electric field leaves non-dividing cells located within the target region substantially unchanged; (b) imposing a second AC electric field in the target region of the patient, the second electric field having a second frequency that is different from the first frequency, wherein the second electric field has frequency characteristics that correspond to a vulnerability of the rapidly dividing cells, wherein the second electric field is strong enough to damage, during the late anaphase or telophase stages of cell division, a significant portion of the rapidly dividing cells whose long axis is generally aligned with lines of force of the second electric field, and wherein the second electric field leaves non-dividing cells located within the target region substantially unchanged; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until a therapeutically significant portion of the rapidly dividing cells die, wherein step (a) is implemented during a first interval of time and step (b) is implemented during a second interval of time, wherein the first interval of time and the second interval of time are mutually exclusive, and wherein the frequencies of the first and second electric fields are between about 50 kHz and about 500 kHz.