Irreversible electroporation (IRE) uses millions of electrical pulses per second to kill cancer cells but spare nearby tissue, which the researchers say could be the latest wellness weapon in the war against cancer. According to the team of investigators, ‘IRE may be especially beneficial in treating liver, lung, pancreatic and other cancers that are close to blood vessels, nerves and other sensitive structures.’ These cancers usually require surgery using a technique known as thermoablation, which heats and then freezes the tumour. However, this technique poses a risk to major blood vessels, nerves, ducts and other vital structures nearby.
For the study, Dr Constantinos Sofocleous, an interventional radiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, performed IRE on 25 patients who suffered with cancer that had spread to various parts of their body. The average tumour size was two centimetres, all of which were near vulnerable sites that would be affected by thermoablation. The radiologist managed to complete all sessions without major complications, which proves that IRE is safe enough for further investigation in larger clinical trials.
Dr Sofocleous commented, ‘The treatment appears to be especially beneficial in people with cancer that has spread and who do not have good treatment options.’ For the treatment, he made an incision the size of a pencil tip in which he fed a tiny instrument to target the tumours. The doctor then generated strong electric fields to create tiny holes in the cancer cell membranes, which disrupts the balance of molecules inside and outside the cell and kills them. Dr Sofocleous said that at a minimum, IRE treatment offers you an improved quality of life, but the Doctor said his hope is that IRE might produce a better long-term outcome than with traditional surgery.