Irreversible electroporation of hepatocellular carcinoma: patient selection and perspectives

Abstract

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel form of tissue ablation that uses high-current electrical pulses to induce pore formation of the cell lipid bilayer, leading to cell death. The safety of IRE for ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been established. Outcome data for ablation of HCC by IRE are limited, but early results are encouraging and suggest equivalency to the outcomes obtained for thermal ablation for appropriately selected, small (<3 cm) tumors. Long-term oncologic efficacy and histopathologic response data have not been published, and therefore, application of IRE for the treatment of HCC should still be viewed with caution.

Electrochemotherapy as treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma, a prospective pilot study

“…HCC were already effectively treated by IRE, where a similar response rate and limitations on the size of the tumors were observed [41]. IRE has the advantage of relying only on tumor cell destruction by electroporation without the drug, as electrochemotherapy does [42,43].…”

Allogenic Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy Combined with Irreversible Electroporation for Stage IV Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Survival Outcome

“…The treatment options for patients with stage IV hepatic tumors are chemoembolization, RFA, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and other palliative therapies [26]. Thermal ablation with RFA or microwave ablation (MWA) is the standard of care therapy for selected small hepatocellular cancers not responsive to surgical resection [27], but heat sink and collateral damage are its limitations [28].…”

Transarterial Chemoembolization of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Controlled Trial

“…There are different techniques of local ablative therapies that are used today, including radiofrequency, microwaves, percutaneous ethanol injection, cryoablation, and interstitial laser coagulation irreversible electroporation. The choice of therapy has been the subject of much research 20,21 . Of these ablative therapies, radiofrequency ablation is the mostassessed alternative 2 .…”