Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know
The global burden of liver metastases from different primary lesions is increasing, resulting in significant challenges for public health systems. Accordingly, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with a high incidence of liver metastases. Although surgical re...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Livers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/5/1/6 |
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| author | Alessandro Posa Pierluigi Barbieri Marcello Lippi Alessandro Maresca Edoardo Vincenzo Andreani Roberto Iezzi |
| author_facet | Alessandro Posa Pierluigi Barbieri Marcello Lippi Alessandro Maresca Edoardo Vincenzo Andreani Roberto Iezzi |
| author_sort | Alessandro Posa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The global burden of liver metastases from different primary lesions is increasing, resulting in significant challenges for public health systems. Accordingly, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with a high incidence of liver metastases. Although surgical resection is considered the standard curative treatment, it is only viable for a limited subset of patients. This review aims to describe a potential alternative nonsurgical intervention, such as electrochemotherapy (ECT), in the treatment of CRC oligometastatic liver disease. ECT has been largely used for the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions, while its visceral use is currently a novel approach. ECT consists of the administration of intravenous anticancer drugs, followed by the application of intralesional electrode needles, which release localized electrical pulses to induce electroporation, a process that transiently increases cell membrane permeability, thereby facilitating the intracellular delivery of otherwise membrane-impermeable drugs. The main topics of this review focus on the technical and clinical applications, efficacy, safety, and possible complications of ECT for CRC liver metastases. A comparison with other locoregional treatments is also performed, highlighting possible advantages and disadvantages. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fedc538fc66b473da936541c4d97684c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-4389 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Livers |
| spelling | doaj-art-fedc538fc66b473da936541c4d97684c2025-08-20T01:48:57ZengMDPI AGLivers2673-43892025-02-0151610.3390/livers5010006Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to KnowAlessandro Posa0Pierluigi Barbieri1Marcello Lippi2Alessandro Maresca3Edoardo Vincenzo Andreani4Roberto Iezzi5Emergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyEmergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyEmergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyEmergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyEmergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyEmergency and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Oncologic Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli”—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyThe global burden of liver metastases from different primary lesions is increasing, resulting in significant challenges for public health systems. Accordingly, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with a high incidence of liver metastases. Although surgical resection is considered the standard curative treatment, it is only viable for a limited subset of patients. This review aims to describe a potential alternative nonsurgical intervention, such as electrochemotherapy (ECT), in the treatment of CRC oligometastatic liver disease. ECT has been largely used for the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions, while its visceral use is currently a novel approach. ECT consists of the administration of intravenous anticancer drugs, followed by the application of intralesional electrode needles, which release localized electrical pulses to induce electroporation, a process that transiently increases cell membrane permeability, thereby facilitating the intracellular delivery of otherwise membrane-impermeable drugs. The main topics of this review focus on the technical and clinical applications, efficacy, safety, and possible complications of ECT for CRC liver metastases. A comparison with other locoregional treatments is also performed, highlighting possible advantages and disadvantages.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/5/1/6electrochemotherapycolorectal cancerliver metastaseslocoregional therapy |
| spellingShingle | Alessandro Posa Pierluigi Barbieri Marcello Lippi Alessandro Maresca Edoardo Vincenzo Andreani Roberto Iezzi Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know Livers electrochemotherapy colorectal cancer liver metastases locoregional therapy |
| title | Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know |
| title_full | Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know |
| title_fullStr | Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know |
| title_short | Electrochemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: What Interventional Radiologists Need to Know |
| title_sort | electrochemotherapy for colorectal liver metastasis what interventional radiologists need to know |
| topic | electrochemotherapy colorectal cancer liver metastases locoregional therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/5/1/6 |
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