Irreversible Electroporation for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Where Do We Stand in 2017?

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma has a very poor prognosis. Complete surgical resection remains the only current curative treatment. Locally advanced pancreatic cancers are considered as unresectable because of involvement of celiac and/or mesenteric vessels. Irreversible electroporation has recently been introduced to induce permanent cell death by apoptosis. Irreversible electroporation is a nonthermal cell-destruction technique that was claimed to allow destruction of cancerous cells with less damage to surrounding supporting connective tissues with collagenic structure (such as nearby blood vessels, biliary ducts, and nerves) than other types of treatment. Applications on pancreatic adenocarcinoma seem promising, and this article is an up-to-date review of the first results.