Multicenter retrospective study of pulsed electrical fields in the setting of recalcitrant stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

A retrospective stuy at three academic center in the USA included patients with progressive stage IV NSCLC who received pulsed electrical fields (PEF) therapy after failure of previous treatments. Progression-free survival and overall survival in this cohort were compared with a propensity matched cohort receiving systemic therapy. The PEF-treated cohort exhibited a 1-year PFS of 63.2% and OS of 74.3%. In contrast, the matched cohort demonstrated a 1-year PFS of 11.8% and OS of 33%. The hazard ratio for PFS in the PEF group was 3.66 (p<0.0001) and for OS was 3.5 (p=0.0007). The authors conclude that this study suggests that PEF therapy may be associated with significantly improved PFS and OS in patients with progressive stage IV NSCLC compared to a matched cohort. Prospective controlled studies are required to confirm these preliminary findings.