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In vitro and in vivo evaluation and a case report of intense nanosecond pulsed electric field as a local therapy for human malignancies
Author(s) -
Garon Edward B.,
Sawcer David,
Vernier P. Thomas,
Tang Tao,
Sun Yinghua,
Marcu Laura,
Gundersen Martin A.,
Koeffler H. Phillip
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.22723
Subject(s) - nanosecond , in vivo , in vitro , field (mathematics) , electric field , medicine , nuclear magnetic resonance , medical physics , physics , optics , chemistry , biology , mathematics , laser , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics
When delivered to cells, very short duration, high electric field pulses (nanoelectropulses) induce primarily intracellular events. We present evidence that this emerging modality may have a role as a local cancer therapy. Five hematologic and 16 solid tumor cell lines were pulsed in vitro . Hematologic cells proved particularly sensitive to nanoelectropulses, with more than a 60% decrease in viable cells measured by MTT assay 96 hr after pulsing in 4 of 5 cell lines. In solid tumor cell lines, 10 out of 16 cell lines had more than a 10% decrease in viable cells. AsPC‐1, a pancreatic cancer cell line, demonstrated the greatest in vitro sensitivity among solid tumor cell lines, with a 64% decrease in viable cells. When nanoelectropulse therapy was applied to AsPC‐1 tumors in athymic nude mice, responses were seen in 4 of 6 tumors, including clinical complete responses in 3 of 6 animals. A single human subject applied nanoelectropulse therapy to his own basal cell carcinoma and had a complete pathologic response. In summary, we demonstrate that electric pulses 20 ns or less kill a wide variety of human cancer cells in vitro , induce tumor regression in vivo , and show efficacy in a single human patient. Therefore, nanoelectropulse therapy deserves further study as a potentially effective cancer therapy. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.