Novel electroporation-based treatments for breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, and its incidence is increasing every year. Current treatment is based on surgical resection, chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy, and hormone therapy (HT). Unfortunately, these methods are ineffective and are associated with a wide range of side effects (e.g., nausea, hair loss and fertility disorders). Electrochemotherapy (ECT), which exposes tumor cells to electric pulses (known as electroporation (EP)) in combination with cytostatic drugs, enables the reduction of cytotoxic drug doses while increasing their efficacy. Electroporation-based treatment methods are applied in breast carcinoma and are the subject of intensive research globally. Irreversible EP has shown promising therapeutic potential in the absence of cytotoxic drugs, as has EP associated with molecules such as calcium ions that are already present in the human body. The application of EP-based methods seems to be a safer and more effective treatment for BC in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, they have found applications in the treatment of BC and its metastases. Moreover, their palliative effects have also been established, and pain reduction has been noted in patients.