Stretchable and Skin-Attachable Electronic Device for Remotely Controlled Wearable Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Surgery represents a primary clinical treatment of solid tumors. The high risk of local relapse typically requires frequent hospital visits for postoperative adjuvant therapy. Here, device designs and system integration of a stretchable electronic device for wearable cancer treatment are presented. The soft electronic patch harnesses compliant materials to achieve conformal and stable attachment to the surgical wound. A composite nanotextile dressing is laminated to the electronic patch to allow the on-demand release of anticancer drugs under electro-thermal actuation. An additional flexible circuit and a compact battery complete an untethered wearable system to execute remote therapeutic commands from a smartphone. The successful implementation of combined chemothermotherapy to inhibit tumor recurrence demonstrates the promising potential of stretchable electronics for advanced wearable therapies without interfering with daily activities.