Author/Editor		Serša, Gregor
Title		Application of electroporation in electrochemotherapy of tumors
Type		članek
Source		In: Kramar P, Miklavčič D, editors. Proceedings of the International scientific workshop and postgraduate course Electroporation based technologies and treatments; 2005 Nov 14-20; Ljubljana. Ljubljana: Faculty of electrical engineering,
Publication year		2005
Volume		str. 42-5
Language		eng
Abstract		Electrochemotherapy consists of chemotherapy followed by local application of electric pulses to the tumor to increase drug delivery into tumor cells. Since drug uptake can be increased by electroporation for only those drugs that have impeded transport through the plasma membrane, among many drugs that have been tested so far, only bleomycin and cisplatin have found their way from preclinical testing to clinical trials. In vitro studies demonstrated several fold increase of their cytotoxicity by electroporation of cells. In vivo, electroporation of tumors after local or systemic administration of either of the drugs i.e. electrochemotherapy, proved to be effective antitumor treatment. Electrochemotherapy studies using either bleomycin or cisplatin in several tumor models, elaborated treatment parameters for effective local tumor control. In veterinary medicine electrochemotherapy proved to be effective in primary tumors in cats, dogs and horses. In clinical studies electrochemotherapy was performed on accessible tumor nodules of different malignancies in progressive disease. All clinical studies provided evidence that electrochemotherapy is effective treatment for local tumor control in patients with different cancer types. The perspectives of electrochemotherapy are also in combination with other established treatment modalities, like irradiation, and those newcomers, like gene therapy. Because application of electric pulses to the tumors induces transient reduction of tumor perfusion and oxygenation it can be exploited in several other treatment combinations like with bioreductive drugs and hyperthermia.
Descriptors		NEOPLASMS, EXPERIMENTAL ELECTROPORATION DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS BLEOMYCIN CISPLATIN MICE