Neuromodulation and associated systems and methods for the treatment of cancer

Abstract

Methods for treating a human patient diagnosed with cancer with therapeutic neuromodulation and associated systems are disclosed herein. Sympathetic nerve activity can contribute to several cellular and physiological processes associated with the progression of cancer. One aspect of the present technology is directed to methods that attenuate neural traffic along target sympathetic nerves innervating tissue proximate a primary malignant tumor. Other aspects are directed to methods that at least partially inhibit sympathetic neural activity in a renal nerve of a patient diagnosed with cancer or who has a high risk of developing cancer. Targeted sympathetic nerve activity can be attenuated to improve a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to the progression of cancer in the patient. The attenuation can be achieved, for example, using an intravascularly positioned catheter carrying a therapeutic assembly, e.g., a therapeutic assembly configured to use electrically-induced, thermally-induced, and/or chemically-induced approaches to modulate the target sympathetic nerve.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A method comprising:
 intravascularly positioning a catheter adjacent to a first sympathetic nerve innervating a first tissue site that is proximate to a malignant tumor in a patient;   delivering neuromodulation therapy to the first sympathetic nerve via the catheter to attenuate neural traffic along the first sympathetic nerve; and   delivering neuromodulation therapy to a second sympathetic nerve innervating a second tissue site that is at risk of forming a metastatic tumor to attenuate neural traffic along the second sympathetic nerve, wherein the second sympathetic nerve is associated with a different organ or tissue from the first tissue site and does not innervate the first tissue site.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering ablative energy via the catheter. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering electrical energy via the catheter. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering thermal energy via the catheter. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises cooling tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering the neuromodulation therapy via an ultrasound transducer. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering the neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering a chemical to tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering at least one of radio frequency energy, ultrasound energy, laser energy, or microwave energy via a neuromodulation assembly carried by the catheter. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivery of the neuromodulation therapy to the first sympathetic nerve results in one or more of:
 a reduction in a tumor growth rate of the malignant tumor in the patient;   a decrease in a frequency of metastasis of the malignant tumor;   at least partial inhibition of vascularization of the malignant tumor;   a decrease in number of metastatic tumors derived from the malignant tumor in the patient; or   increased effectiveness of a chemotherapy agent on cancer cells derived from the malignant tumor.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein there is a delay between delivering neuromodulation therapy to the first sympathetic nerve and delivering neuromodulation therapy to the second sympathetic nerve. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to the second sympathetic nerve reduces a level of whole body norepinephrine spillover. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to the second sympathetic nerve decreases a rate of colonization of circulating tumor cells at the second tissue site by altering a microenvironment at the second tissue site to be less habitable to colonization. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein attenuating neural traffic along the first sympathetic nerve at least one of:
 decreases a number of circulating tumor cells in the patient; or   inhibits at least one of lymphatic spread or hematogenous spread of tumor cells from the malignant tumor in the patient.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the malignant tumor is located in the breast, colon, kidney, pancreas, liver, prostate, cervix or ovary of the patient. 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 delivering neuromodulation therapy to a first sympathetic nerve via an intravascular neuromodulation assembly to attenuate neural traffic along the first sympathetic nerve, wherein the first sympathetic nerve innervates a secondary tissue site that is different than a primary tissue site that includes a malignant tumor in a patient; and   delivering neuromodulation therapy to the second sympathetic nerve to attenuate neural traffic along the second sympathetic nerve, wherein attenuating neural traffic along the first sympathetic nerve and the second sympathetic nerve results in one or more of:
 a reduction in a tumor growth rate of the malignant tumor in the patient, 
 a decrease in a frequency of metastasis of the malignant tumor, 
 at least partial inhibition of vascularization of the malignant tumor, 
 a decrease in a number of metastatic tumors derived from the malignant tumor in the patient, 
 a decrease in a rate of colonization of circulating tumor cells at the secondary tissue site, or 
 increased effectiveness of a chemotherapy agent on cancer cells derived from the malignant tumor. 
   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering at least one of radio frequency energy, ultrasound energy, laser energy, or microwave energy via the neuromodulation assembly. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises cooling tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises delivering a chemical to tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein delivering neuromodulation therapy to at least one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve comprises at least partially ablating a respective one of the first sympathetic nerve or the second sympathetic nerve. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein attenuating neural traffic along the first sympathetic nerve at least one of reduce muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in the patient or reduces whole body norepinephrine spillover in the patient.