A Review of Basic to Clinical Studies of Irreversible Electroporation Therapy

Abstract

The use of irreversible electroporation (IRE) for cancer treatment has increased sharply over the past decade. As a nonthermal therapy, IRE offers several potential benefits over other focal therapies, which include 1) short treatment delivery time, 2) reduced collateral thermal injury, and 3) the ability to treat tumors adjacent to major blood vessels. These advantages have stimulated widespread interest in basic through clinical studies of IRE. For instance, many in vitro and in vivo studies now identify treatment planning protocols (IRE threshold, pulse parameters, etc.), electrode delivery (electrode design, placement, intraoperative imaging methods, etc.), injury evaluation (methods and timing), and treatment efficacy in different cancer models. Therefore, this study reviews the in vitro, translational, and clinical studies of IRE cancer therapy based on major experimental studies particularly within the past decade. Further, this study provides organized data and facts to assist further research, optimization, and clinical applications of IRE.

Imaging the dynamics of individual electropores

“…Since its discovery and the first investigations in the 1960s and 1970s (4,5), electroporation has been used in a wide range of applications, including gene transfection (6), wound and water sterilization (7,8), tumor ablation (9,10), electrochemotherapy (11,12), and transdermal drug delivery (13). Furthermore, links to defibrillation damage have been highlighted (14).…”

Innovations in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: Challenges and Upcoming Solutions in 2018 and Beyond

“…61 Early results of application of IRE for ablation are encouraging. Animal studies with the use of electroporation have been promising, with applications to pulmonary veins, cardiac muscle, Purkinje fibers, and cardiac ganglia.…”

Elektrokemoterapija – Učinkovita Metoda Zdravljenja Tumorjev S Kombinacijo Kemoterapevtika in Električnega Polja

“…Na ta način elektrokemoterapija omogoča povečan vnos molekul izbranega kemoterapevtika v tumorske celice. 8,29 Od prve in vitro raziskave na področju elektrokemoterapije je minilo že več kot 20 let. Današnja uporaba elektrokemoterapije v zdravljenju temelji na obsežnih raziskavah osnovnih mehanizmov njenega učinko-vanja, kot so določitev najučinkovitejših parametrov pulzov zdravljenja, določi-tev ustreznih kemoterapevtikov,30,31 in vivo raziskave na različnih živalskih modelih32 in klinične raziskave zdravljenja kožnih, podkožnih32,33 ter globoko-leže-čih tumorjev.34-36 Namen tega prispevka je strnjeno predstaviti pregled razvoja in uporabe elektrokemoterapije kot metode za zdravljenje raka.…”