ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the cancer application of nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma. To illustrate the efficacy of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets to kill cancer cells, it presents an example showing results obtained on a cancer cell line. The cancer cells used are from a carcinoma cell line. It is the absence of apoptosis that ultimately leads to accumulation of aberrant cells and cancers. Tumor cells are destroyed by a multiple mode of action involving necrosis, apoptosis, and decrease in tumor vasculature. Various medical applications, including wound healing and cancer treatment, have led to scientific advances that may ultimately lead to innovative medical therapies. A study on a bladder tumor mouse xenograft through subcutaneous injection demonstrated the dramatic effect of plasma on tumor destruction. The effects of low temperature plasma on the attachment of cells to each other, to the extracellular matrix, and to a surface are important for both wound healing and cancer applications.
