• Li Yan, Yong-Liang Chen, Ming Su, Tian Liu, Kai Xu, Feng Liang, Wan-Qing Gu, and Shi-Chun Lu.
• Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
• Chin. Med. J. 2016 Dec 20; 129 (24): 292029252920-2925.

BackgroundLocally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC) is characterized by poor prognosis despite recommended concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has emerged as a potential option for the management of unresectable pancreatic cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and short-term efficacy of open IRE for the treatment of LAPC.MethodsRetrospective data of 25 consecutive patients receiving IRE for T3 lesions from July 2015 to June 2016 at a single center were analyzed. The perioperative and long-term IRE-related complications were reviewed to evaluate the safety of the procedure. The tumor reduction and biological response were analyzed through computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging; the serum level of CA19-9 was measured as a secondary endpoint to evaluate the short-term efficacy of IRE.ResultsAll patients were successfully treated; the median tumor size was 4.2 cm and the median IRE time was 36 min. Four intraoperative procedure-related complications were observed (16%): two transient hypertensive episodes, one hypotension case, and one transient supraventricular tachycardia case. Nine postoperative complications were described, including three Grade A pancreatic fistulas, three delayed gastric emptying, one acute pancreatitis, one upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and one portal vein thrombosis. The overall rate of stable disease was 28%, 36% achieved partial response, and lower serum CA19-9 levels were recorded in all patients at discharge.ConclusionsIRE is feasible for the treatment of LAPC and is a reasonable intervention strategy owing to its combined attributes of safety and efficacy.

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