Author/Editor     Serša, Gregor
Title     Electroporation - electrochemotherapy: experience and future
Type     članek
Source     In: COST 244bis: action on biomedical effects of electromagnetic fields. 11th workshop on biomedical applications of EMFs and Management committee meeting; 2000 Oct 7-8; Bled. Bled: Faculty of electrical engineering,
Publication year     2000
Volume     str. 16-7
Language     eng
Abstract     Electrochemotherapy consists of chemotherapy followed by local application of electric pulses to the tumor to increase drug delivery into the tumors. Electrochemotheapy has been shown to be succesful for drugs such as bleomycin and cisplatin, which normally exhibit impeded transport through the plasma membrane. The increased anti-tumor effectiveness of bleomycin and cisplatin combined with electric pulses has already been demonstrated in experimental and clinical studies. In clinical studies, electrochemotherapy was performed on cutaneous and subcutaneous tumor nodules of head and neck carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas, and Kaposi's sarcomas. Objective responses were obtained for the majoriry of the electrochemotherapy-treated nodules, whereas nodules that were exposed only to electric pulses or treated only with the drugs did not respond. Perspectives of electrochemotheapy are in treatment of various solid tumors. Developments in new electrode design will enable also treatment of tumors seeded in internal organs. Electrochemotherapy can be used also in combination with other treatment modalities. Improvement of combined modality theapy with cisplatin and radiation using electroporation of tumors has already been demonstrated. In perspective, reduced tumor perfusion after application of electric pulses could be exploited in combination with bioreductive drugs. All these developments in electrochemotheapy are good basis for its further development, which lead into broader clinical applicability of electrochemotherapy.
Descriptors     NEOPLASMS
DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS
ELECTROPORATION
ANTINEOPLASTIC AGENTS
BLEOMYCIN
CISPLATIN