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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.
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).
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.
Bleomycin is the 'B' in BEP for testicular cancer and ABVD for Hodgkin lymphoma; its unique danger is scarring of the lungs, so lung function is monitored and it is often dropped when safe.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Electrochemotherapy" OR ABSTRACT:"Electrochemotherapy") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Electrochemotherapy, not a curated reading list.
Shares Irreversible electroporation (NanoKnife), Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants, Melanoma.
Shares Kaposi sarcoma, Bleomycin, Cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Shares Immunogenic cell death, Irreversible electroporation (NanoKnife).
Shares Kaposi sarcoma, Bleomycin.
Shares Bleomycin, Cisplatin, Cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Shares Immunogenic cell death, Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants.
Shares Electrochemotherapy devices (Cliniporator), Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, Melanoma, Cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Shares Immunogenic cell death, Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants, Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.