Researchers from University of York has, for the first time, applied the Low-temperature Plasma(LTPs) in the cells which are from patients’ tissue samples. It is said that LTPs may become a potential treatment for prostate cancer. This study was published in British Journal of Cancer.

Despite continual improvement and refinement, long-term treatment for prostate cancer(PCa) is still recognised as inadequate. However, around a third of patients will experience recurrence of their disease following radiotherapy. This may be due to inherent radio-resistance of a small fraction of the tumour-the cancer stem-like cells.

In recent years, Low-temperature plasma(LTPs ) have shown considerable potential as active agents in biomedicine. They are formed by applying a high electric field across a gas, which accelerates electrons into nearby atoms and molecules, leading to a cascade effect of multiple ionisation, excitation and dissociation processes. This creates a complex and unique reactive environment consisting of positive and negative

In this study, scientists first conducted a proof-of-principle study in order to validate the cytopathic effect of LTP treatment on two commonly used prostate cells lines derived from benign disease (BPH-1) and prostate cancer metastasis. They then analyzed in detail the effect of LTP treatment on a matched pair of primary samples. They cultured prostate epithelial cells from normal prostate and prostate cancer tissue. retrieved from biopsies from a single patient, allowing for direct comparison of the effects of LTP on both normal and cancer cells.

The research group presents the first experimental evidence that LTP may be a suitable candidate for focal therapy treatment of patients with early onset prostate cancer through the induction in colony-forming capacity, and ultimately necrotic cell death, in clinically relevant and close-to-patent samples.

Reference:Hirst A M, Simms M S, Mann V M, et al. Low-temperature plasma treatment induces DNA damage leading to necrotic cell death in primary prostate epithelial cells[J]. British journal of cancer, 2015.