title: Cold plasma selectivity and the possibility of a paradigm shift in cancer therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma is an ionised gas that is typically generated in high-temperature laboratory conditions. However, recent progress in atmospheric plasmas has led to the creation of cold plasmas with ion temperature close to room temperature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both in-vitro and in-vivo studies revealed that cold plasmas selectively kill cancer cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that: (a) cold plasma application selectively eradicates cancer cells in vitro without damaging normal cells; and (b) significantly reduces tumour size in vivo. It is shown that reactive oxygen species metabolism and oxidative stress responsive genes are deregulated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The development of cold plasma tumour ablation has the potential of shifting the current paradigm of cancer treatment and enabling the transformation of cancer treatment technologies by utilisation of another state of matter.
authors: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA. keidar@gwu.edu
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Keidar
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Walk
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Shashurin
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Srinivasan
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Sandler
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dasgupta
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Ravi
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Guerrero-Preston
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Trink
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012881:Skin Temperature; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases