{"entity":{"id":"electrochemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Electrochemotherapy","aka":[],"tldr":"Brief electric pulses applied to a tumour open pores in cell membranes so that a tiny dose of bleomycin or cisplatin floods in; used for skin metastases and, increasingly, for deep tumours.","summary":"Electroporation with 8 pulses of ~1000 V/cm makes cells transiently permeable, increasing bleomycin cytotoxicity several-hundred-fold and cisplatin ~80-fold. The ESOPE study (2006) standardised the procedure; the InspECT registry reports ~60% complete and ~85% overall response in cutaneous metastases of melanoma, breast cancer, Kaposi sarcoma and squamous carcinoma, with NICE guidance supporting use for skin metastases (2013). Endoscopic and needle-electrode systems extend it to liver metastases, pancreatic cancer, bone and head and neck tumours; calcium electroporation is a drug-free variant; combination with immunotherapy (abscopal effects) is being tested. Widely available in Europe, little used in the US (no FDA-cleared device).","status":"established","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochemotherapy","links":[{"label":"ESOPE standard operating procedures","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcsup.2006.08.003"},{"label":"InspECT registry (Eur J Cancer 2020)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2020.06.020"}],"tags":["gap-fill"],"related":[],"cancers":["melanoma","kaposi-sarcoma","cutaneous-scc","head-and-neck"],"sections":["devices","surgery"],"technologies":["irreversible-electroporation","cytotoxic-chemotherapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":["bleomycin","cisplatin"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["immunogenic-cell-death"],"trials":["nct05395962","nct07443475","nct00744653"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":["paper-clover-eur-j-cancer"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Reversible electroporation increases membrane permeability to poorly permeant cytotoxics (bleomycin, cisplatin), producing localised cell death with systemic doses far below chemotherapeutic ranges; also causes vascular lock and immunogenic cell death.","strengths":["High local response with minimal systemic toxicity","Single or few sessions; day case under local/general anaesthesia","Works regardless of tumour histology"],"limitations":["Local treatment only","Requires electrodes to reach tumour (depth limits)","No US device approval; limited randomised evidence"],"since":1991},"route":"/technologies/electrochemotherapy/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"cutaneous-scc","kind":"cancer","name":"Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/cutaneous-scc/"},{"id":"head-and-neck","kind":"cancer","name":"Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/head-and-neck/"},{"id":"kaposi-sarcoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Kaposi sarcoma","route":"/cancers/kaposi-sarcoma/"},{"id":"melanoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Melanoma","route":"/cancers/melanoma/"},{"id":"stage-iii-melanoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Stage III melanoma (after surgery)","route":"/cancers/stage-iii-melanoma/"}],"section":[{"id":"devices","kind":"section","name":"Devices & Physical Therapies","route":"/fronts/devices/"},{"id":"surgery","kind":"section","name":"Surgery & Interventional","route":"/fronts/surgery/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cytotoxic-chemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cytotoxic chemotherapy","route":"/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/"},{"id":"electrochemotherapy-devices","kind":"technology","name":"Electrochemotherapy devices (Cliniporator)","route":"/technologies/electrochemotherapy-devices/"},{"id":"irreversible-electroporation","kind":"technology","name":"Irreversible electroporation (NanoKnife)","route":"/technologies/irreversible-electroporation/"}],"drug":[{"id":"bleomycin","kind":"drug","name":"Bleomycin","route":"/drugs/bleomycin/"},{"id":"cisplatin","kind":"drug","name":"Cisplatin","route":"/drugs/cisplatin/"}],"term":[{"id":"immunogenic-cell-death","kind":"term","name":"Immunogenic cell death","route":"/terms/immunogenic-cell-death/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct00744653","kind":"trial","name":"Electrochemotherapy for Chest Wall Recurrence af Breast Cancer: Present Challenges and Future Prospects","route":"/trials/nct00744653/"},{"id":"nct07443475","kind":"trial","name":"Electrochemotherapy for Recurrent Vulvar Cancer","route":"/trials/nct07443475/"},{"id":"nct05395962","kind":"trial","name":"Electrochemotherapy With Carboplatinum Plus Bleomycin Versus Bleomycin Alone in Vulvar Cancer","route":"/trials/nct05395962/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-clover-eur-j-cancer","kind":"paper","name":"Electrochemotherapy in the treatment of cutaneous malignancy: Outcomes and subgroup analysis from the cumulative results from the pan-European International Network for Sharing Practice in Electrochemotherapy database for 2482 lesions in 987 patients (2008-2019)","route":"/key-papers/paper-clover-eur-j-cancer/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"devices-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants","route":"/roadmaps/devices-roadmap/"}],"company":[{"id":"igea","kind":"company","name":"IGEA","route":"/companies/igea/"}]}}