Electrochemotherapy Effectiveness Loss due to Electric Field Indentation between Needle Electrodes: A Numerical Study

Abstract

Electrochemotherapy is an anticancer treatment based on applying electric field pulses that reduce cell membrane selectivity, allowing chemotherapy drugs to enter the cells. In parallel to electrochemotherapy clinical tests, in silico experiments have helped scientists and clinicians to understand the electric field distribution through anatomically complex regions of the body. In particular, these in silico experiments allow clinicians to predict problems that may arise in treatment effectiveness. The current work presents a metastatic case of a mast cell tumor in a dog. In this specific treatment planning study, we show that using needle electrodes has a possible pitfall. The macroscopic consequence of the electroporation was assessed through a mathematical model of tissue electrical conductivity. Considering the electrical and geometrical characteristics of the case under study, we modeled an ellipsoidal tumor. Initial simulations were based on the European Standard Operating Procedures for electrochemotherapy suggestions, and then different electrodes’ arrangements were evaluated. To avoid blind spots, multiple applications are usually required for large tumors, demanding electrode repositioning. An effective treatment electroporates all the tumor cells. Partially and slightly overlapping the areas increases the session’s duration but also likely increases the treatment’s effectiveness. It is worth noting that for a single application, the needles should not be placed close to the tumor’s borders because effectiveness is highly likely to be lost.