ABSTRACT
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Many cancers remain resistant to conventional forms of therapy, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. The poor prognosis of cancer is linked to the ability of established tumors to evade immune detection. Calcium electroporation (CaEP) represents a novel treatment being explored for its ability to overcome some of the limitations of conventional therapy. Electrical pulse parameters are shared with those governing electrochemotherapy (ECT), whereby tumors are exposed to eight rectangular 100 μs pulses with an electric field intensity of 1,000 V/cm. Electric pulses enhance calcium uptake into cells, which is delivered in supraphysiological concentrations (0.225 mM). To date, results have demonstrated that CaEP is highly toxic to a variety of cancer lines while sparring normal tissues. While clinical trials have confirmed its significant potential, future research is aimed at improving this promising treatment by combining it with other treatments that will overcome cancer-mediated immune suppression.
