Electrochemotherapy: An enhancement of cytotoxicity of anticancer drugs
Journal Title: Innovations in Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacotherapy (IPP) - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 3
Abstract
Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a local treatment of cancer employing electric pulses to improve transmembrane transfer of cytotoxic drugs. In this article, we discuss ECT and review the steps needed to move such a treatment from initial prototypes into clinical practice. The delivery of electric pulses at the time of when a chemotherapeutic drug reaches its highest extracellular concentration considerably increases the transport through the membrane toward the intracellular targets of cytotoxicity. The two most commonly used drugs are bleomycin and cisplatin which do not freely cross the intact cell membrane and directly affect the nuclear DNA structure, adversely interfering with mitosis leading to cancer cell death. ECT, in general, can be considered as a palliative option for cancers for which standard treatments have failed or proved to be insufficient. Sarcomas, carcinomas, or melanoma tumors responded with a high percentage of complete responses when the drugs were injected intravenously or intratumorally. Due to high effectiveness of ECT in the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors regardless of histological origin, there are now attempts to extend its use to the treatment of internal tumors. To advance the applicability of ECT to treatment of internal solid tumors, new technological developments are needed that will enable treatment of these tumors in daily clinical practice.
Authors and Affiliations
Amol Bhalchandra Deore
Keywords
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