Electroporation and Immunotherapy — Unleashing the Abscopal Effect

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The discovery of electroporation in 1968 has led to the development of electrochemotherapy (ECT) and irreversible electroporation (IRE). ECT and IRE have been established as treatments of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors and locally advanced pancreatic cancer, respectively. Interestingly, the treatment modalities have been shown to elicit immunogenic cell death, which in turn can induce an immune response towards the tumor cells. With the dawn of the immunotherapy era, the potential of combining ECT and IRE with immunotherapy has led to the launch of numerous studies. Data from the first clinical trials are promising, and new combination regimes might change the way we treat tumors characterized by low immunogenicity and high levels of immunosuppression, such as melanoma and pancreatic cancer. In this review we will give an introduction to ECT and IRE and discuss the impact on the immune system. Additionally, we will present the results of clinical and preclinical trials, investigating the combination of electroporation modalities and immunotherapy.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2876
JournalCancers
Volume14
Issue number12
Number of pages28
ISSN2072-6694
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

    Research areas

  • abscopal effect, electrochemotherapy, immune response, immunotherapy, irreversible electroporation

ID: 321872071