Objective: The purpose of this work is to assess the ability of sine waves to perform electrochemotherapy (ECT) and to study the dependence of the frequency of the applied sine wave on the treatment efficacy.
Methods: A subcutaneous tumor model in mice was used, and the electric field was delivered in combination with bleomycin. Sinusoidal electric fields of different frequencies, amplitudes, and durations were compared to square waves. Computer simulations were additionally performed.
Results: The results confirmed the ability of a sinusoidal electric field to obtain successful ECT responses. A strong dependence on frequency was obtained. The efficacy of the treatment decreased when the frequency of the sine waves was increased. At low sinusoidal frequency, the efficacy of the treatment is very similar to that obtained with a square wave. The collateral effects such as skin burns and muscle contractions decreased for the highest frequency assayed.
Conclusion: The use of sine wave burst represents a feasible option for the treatment of cancer by ECT.
Significance: These results could have important implications for the treatment of cancer in the clinical world where ECT is performed with dc square pulses.