Noninvasive Physical Plasma as Innovative and Tissue-Preserving Therapy for Women Positive for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Abstract

(1) Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of long-term persistence or associated with individual treatment indications often requires highly invasive treatments. These are associated with risks of bleeding, infertility, and pregnancy complications. For low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), standard treatment procedures are difficult to implement and manage. We characterized the application of the highly energized gas “noninvasive physical plasma” (NIPP) for tissue devitalization and the treatment of CIN. (2) Methods: We report the establishment of a promising tissue devitalization procedure by NIPP application. The procedure was characterized at the in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo levels. We performed the first prospective, single-armed phase-IIb trial in 20 CIN1/2 patients (NCT03218436). (3) Results: NIPP-treated cervical cancer cells used as dysplastic in vitro model exhibited significant cell growth retardation due to DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Ex vivo and in vivo tissue assessments showed a highly noninvasive and tissue-preserving treatment procedure which induces transmucosal tissue devitalization. Twenty participants were treated with NIPP and attended a 24-week follow-up. Treatment success was achieved in 19 (95%) participants without postinterventional complications other than mild to moderate discomfort during application. (4) Conclusions: The results from this study preliminarily suggest that NIPP could be used for an effective and tissue-preserving treatment for CIN without the disadvantages of standard treatments. However, randomized controlled trials must confirm the efficacy and noninferiority of NIPP compared to standard treatments.

Preclinical Cold Atmospheric Plasma Cancer Treatment

“…In addition to these typical CAP sources, some new sources have recently been developed and used in preclinical studies. One example is a non-invasive and non-thermally operated electrosurgical plasma source [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Vulvar Paget’s Disease: A Systematic Review of the MITO Rare Cancer Group

“…The role of non-surgical therapies, such as RT, topical imiquimod, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and laser CO 2 therapy, remains unclear and can be considered in cases of unresectable, recurrent, and metastatic disease, as well as a valid conservative alternative for non-invasive disease [ 5 , 114 , 115 ]. It is noteworthy that preliminary results indicated that noninvasive physical plasma might be a viable treatment option for women with a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and this approach might be explored for VPD patients as well [ 116 ]. The role of RT as an option in the treatment of VPD has not been fully understood.…”

Opportunities of Electronic and Optical Sensors in Autonomous Medical Plasma Technologies

“…Here, biochemical characterization of lipids as molecular components in human cervical tissue was carried out using Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy has proven to be a useful technique to identify plasma-dependent changes in the morphology of biological tissue and its molecular components. ,− Furthermore, modern hyperspectral Raman imaging can now provide faster imaging with high spatial resolution . Mass spectrometry is another widely used method that can be used to detect and image a broad range of low mass metabolite and lipid species (Figure b) .…”