High-voltage electrical pulses for pancreatic cancer treatment in the era of precision medicine.

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer (PC) presents a significant therapeutic challenge due to its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Emerging evidence supports the efficacy of high-voltage electrical pulses (HVEPs) in PC treatment, leveraging dual benefits of pancreatobiliary duct integrity maintenance and immunogenicity activation.

OBJECTIVE

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from January 2000 to January 2025. This review synthesizes recent advances in HVEPs for PC treatment, specifically focusing on clinical translation, mechanistic insights, and combinatorial strategies with other modalities.

KEY FINDINGS: HVEPs induce immunogenic cell death and reprogram the TME, converting immunologically "cold" tumors to "hot." We also highlight the synergistic potential of combining HVEPs with surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy (notably for prolonging immune effects and activating abscopal responses), and nanomaterials (which enhance targeting, reduce toxicity, and augment efficacy). Current research must still address several outstanding issues in device engineering, mechanism exploration, designing new immunotherapy combinations, and developing nanomaterials.

CONCLUSIONS

Further exploration of the mechanisms of HVEPs and the development of combination approaches based on HVEPs - particularly with immunotherapy and nanomaterials - holds significant promise for advancing personalized, precise, and systemic management of PC.