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Treatment of breast cancer through the application of irreversible electroporation using a novel minimally invasive single needle electrode

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Abstract

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a therapeutic technology for the ablation of soft tissues using electrodes to deliver intense but short electric pulses across a cell membrane, creating nanopores that lead to cell death. This phenomenon only affects the cell membrane, leaving the extracellular matrix and sensitive structures intact, making it a promising technique for the treatment many types of tumors. In this paper, we present the first in vivo study to achieve tumor regression using a translatable, clinically relevant single needle electrode for treatment administration. Numerical models of the electric field distribution for the protocol used suggest that a 1000 V/cm field threshold is sufficient to treat a tumor, and that the electric field distribution will slightly decrease if the same protocol were used on a tumor deep seated within a human breast. Tumor regression was observed in 5 out of 7 MDA-MB231 human mammary tumors orthotopically implanted in female Nu/Nu mice, with continued growth in controls.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Coulter Foundation and the Comprehensive Cancer Center seed grant and the National Institutes of Health grant RO1CA12842 (SVT). Dr. Singh was supported in part by an NIH/NCI T32 CA-079448 Postdoctoral Training Fellowship in Cancer Biology. The authors would like to thank John Caldwell, Paulo Garcia, Erin Bredeman, Hermina Borgerink, and Dr. Kathryn Clausen for their help with this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioelectromechanical Systems Lab, Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, 329 ICTAS Building, (MC0298), Stranger Street, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Robert E. Neal II & Rafael V. Davalos

  2. Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Ravi Singh & Heather C. Hatcher

  3. Biochemistry and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Suzy V. Torti

  4. Pathology-Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Nancy D. Kock

Authors
  1. Robert E. Neal II
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  2. Ravi Singh
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  3. Heather C. Hatcher
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  4. Nancy D. Kock
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  5. Suzy V. Torti
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  6. Rafael V. Davalos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rafael V. Davalos.

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Neal, R.E., Singh, R., Hatcher, H.C. et al. Treatment of breast cancer through the application of irreversible electroporation using a novel minimally invasive single needle electrode. Breast Cancer Res Treat 123, 295–301 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-010-0803-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-010-0803-5

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