GROVE CITY, PA. (Sept. 3, 2020) – Terry O’Keefe and his wife Diane love to hike and travel in their RV. The Grove City couple was hiking in the Midwest a year and a half ago when Terry began experiencing alarming symptoms: shortness of breath, racing heart, fainting.
Back in Pennsylvania, doctors made the diagnosis: malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen and heart. Median survival is only about one year. Mesothelioma is strongly connected to asbestos exposure, and Terry was exposed to the substance during his years working as a boiler operator in the U.S. Navy.
Terry underwent surgery and chemotherapy, both standard treatments for mesothelioma. Then Zachary D. Horne, MD, a radiation oncologist who practices at Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute’s center in Beaver County, as well as at Allegheny General and West Penn hospitals, offered Terry a chance to try a new option.
Optune Lua, a wearable, portable device that delivers low-grade electrical fields to the tumors, is the first new FDA-approved treatment for mesothelioma in 15 years. AHN Cancer Institute is the only center in the region offering Optune Lua for mesothelioma, and Terry was the second patient in Pennsylvania to receive the treatment.
“Mesothelioma is a devastating diagnosis. We are thrilled to offer our patients Optune Lua, a treatment that can potentially extend their lives and improve their quality of life,” Dr. Horne said. “The treatment is non-invasive and delivers treatment directly to the tumor, and so most patients experience only minor side effects.”
Optune Lua users can continue with normal daily activities during treatment. Small adhesive patches called transducer arrays are placed on the patient’s chest and back, and are connected by wire to a battery that the patient carries either in a backpack or across the shoulder. The electrical fields work by disrupting the process by which cancer cells make copies of themselves.
In a clinical trial of 80 patients with unresectable or metastatic and previously untreated malignant pleural mesothelioma who were treated with Optune Lua plus chemotherapy, median survival was 18.2 months, and 97 percent of patients saw their mesothelioma either shrink or stop growing.
As for Terry, the lower part of his lung tumor has completely disappeared, while the upper part has grown only slightly. Dr. Horne is adjusting the patches so that more of the electrical fields are directed to the upper lung, and doctors are also adding a newer immunotherapy to Terry’s regime. Terry and his wife aren’t back to RVing yet, but are enjoying short hikes near their home in the company of their two dogs
“We look forward to providing Optune Lua as a treatment option for additional patients who may otherwise feel that they have little hope for the future,” Dr. Horne said.
The Optune Lua therapy is typically not covered by insurance plans at this time. Novocure, the manufacturer, however, has financial assistance available for qualified patients.