Abstract 2771: Development of a non-thermal plasma model for neuroblastoma treatment.

Abstract

Abstract Neuroblastoma is a common extra-cranial solid tumor in children. There are several clinical categories of this disease, ranging from curable to very poor prognosis in which this cancer is treated with multi-modal therapy. We have tested a novel ablative technology, using non-thermal helium generated plasma jets, as a means to selective targeting of neuroblastoma cells. Plasma consists of partially ionized molecules, free radicals and other species. We have investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in non-thermal plasma mediated tumor cell death, as well as the differences in response between tumor and normal cells. Treatment with non-thermal plasma induced apoptosis in cancer cells, while normal cells appear to be less sensitive to the toxic effects. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide are elevated after plasma treatment, suggesting that this may contribute to cell death. Scavengers of ROS were able to abrogate apoptosis in plasma-treated cells. Plasma therapy of tumor cells may be a novel approach to delivery of high levels of ROS, offering the ability to directly target and selectively destroy neoplastic tissue. Methods enhancing the ROS effect and/or technical delivery of the free radicals uniformly to tumor cells within a mass will be needed before this technology could be translated to ablating solid tumors in vivo. Citation Format: Priya Srinivasan, Jason A. Snyder, Alexey Shashurin, Michael Keidar, Anthony D. Sandler. Development of a non-thermal plasma model for neuroblastoma treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2771. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2771 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.