Plasma Oncology

Dear Colleagues,

To date, effective cancer treatments are still limited by a lack of specificity, which can cause varying degrees of systemic adverse side effects. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), also called nonthermal plasma (NTP), is a partially ionized gas that is being investigated as a localized cancer therapy. It is created by applying electricity to a gas at atmospheric pressure and near room temperature and consists of neutral gas molecules, electrons, ions, radicals, and excited species. This chemical cocktail can rapidly react with cancerous tissue and induce therapeutic effects, thus opening the new field of plasma oncology. The main effectors in plasma for oncology are the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) created by plasma. They can modulate and activate multiple signaling pathways in cancer cells, leading to cell death and stimulation of anticancer immunity. Many different cancer cell lines have been studied in vitro, mainly using two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures. However, in recent years, much progress has been made in studying more realistic cancer models, such as a 3D spheroid model (in vitro) and the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model (in ovo). Furthermore, in vivo experiments are increasingly providing evidence of the anticancer effects of plasma, and the first clinical trials have been carried out with promising results. In addition, much research has been performed to investigate the combination of plasma with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy, to boost anticancer activity. Finally, computer modeling (in silico approaches) is being used to obtain a better understanding of the underlying plasma–cell interactions.

This Topic Collection on Plasma Oncology aims to publish papers on all of the abovementioned research topics. We believe an integrated study of the multidimensional effects of plasma in cancer treatment is essential. All papers that provide new insights into the mechanisms of plasma oncology based on in vitro, in ovo, and in vivo experiments, clinical studies, as well as by computer modeling, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Annemie Bogaerts
Dr. Angela Privat-Maldonado
Dr. Abraham Lin
Collection Editors

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