BACKGROUND

The present application relates to implantable medical devices, systems, and methods for treatment of cancer. In particular, the present application relates to systems and methods for directing cancer cell migration in order to remove, relocate, or manage the growth of tumors, including tumors that would otherwise be inoperable or lead to a recurrence of the tumor.

Medulloblastomas are highly invasive tumors of the cerebellum and the most common childhood malignant brain tumor, constituting 20-40% of all pediatric brain tumors. Treatment of these invasive intracranial brain tumors in children provides significant challenges that are further complicated by the confined space and need to preserve as much non-cancerous, “normal” tissue as possible to avoid long-term cognitive dysfunction. In such cases, surgery is complicated and chemotherapy is prone to major side effects because cyclototoxic drugs cannot differentially kill invading tumor cells surrounded by normal cells.

Malignant gliomas also are among the most aggressive and least successfully treated types of cancer, with few patients surviving longer than a year following diagnosis. This bleak prognosis is largely attributed to the uniquely invasive ability of gliomas cells to detach from the tumor mass, infiltrate normal brain tissue, evade immunodetection and resist normally cytotoxic therapies. The invasion of these tumors prevents complete surgical removal and contributes to recurrence and a rapid, lethal outcome.

Studies have shown that the invasion of malignant gliomas predominantly occurs along major elongated structures, such as white matter fiber tracts and blood vessels, which act as “highways” for the spread of these tumors. It is generally believed that the myelin along the white matter fiber tracts aids with the adhesion and migration of the glioma cells. In addition, other proteins in the basement membrane have been implicated in association with migration along the blood vessels.

Accordingly, there remains a need to develop an alternative treatment for medulloblastomas and other malignancies, such as malignant gliomas.

