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Published on: August 19, 2025
453
Electroporation-Based Treatments in Urology.
Aleksander Kiełbik1, Wojciech Szlasa1, Jolanta Saczko2
1Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.
Cancers
|August 14, 2020
Summary
Pulsed electric fields induce electroporation (EP), a technique with reversible and irreversible applications in urology. Irreversible EP treats cancers, while reversible EP enhances drug delivery and gene transfer for urological treatments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Urology
Background:
- Pulsed electric fields (PEF) induce electroporation (EP), a phenomenon increasing cell membrane permeability.
- EP can be reversible or irreversible, with distinct clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanism of EP and its applications in urology.
- To discuss the latest advancements and future perspectives of EP-based treatments in urological cancers.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on electroporation, irreversible electroporation (IRE), electrochemotherapy (ECT), and gene electrotransfer (GET) in urology.
- Analysis of the underlying mechanisms and clinical trial data.
Main Results:
- Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a non-thermal ablative method for prostate and renal cancers, sparing surrounding tissues.
- Reversible EP enhances the uptake of chemotherapeutic drugs (electrochemotherapy) and facilitates gene transfer (gene electrotransfer) for urological conditions.
- Gene electrotransfer (GET) shows promise for non-viral transfection in urological cancer treatment, with ongoing clinical trials for prostate cancer antigens.
Conclusions:
- Electroporation offers versatile therapeutic strategies in urology, including cancer ablation, enhanced drug delivery, and gene therapy.
- Further research and clinical trials are warranted to optimize and expand the use of EP-based techniques in urological oncology.
