A Clinical Research About Using Irreversible Electroporation to Treat Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Irreversible electroporation (IRE), developed and manufactured by AngioDynamics US Ltd, can ablate tumor by fenestrating the cancer cell membrane by electric pulse. The anti-tumor effect does not result from thermotherapy, so is also not diminished by adjacent vessels. Several pre-clinical and clinical studies have already demonstrated IRE is a safe and effective treatment, and the adjacent tissue such as vessels and ductal structures will be spared. Recently, IRE had been used to treat pancreatic cancer successfully, and the safety is satisfactory. The system has been approved as safe by the European Union (EU) in 2008 and received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2010. However, there are still few experiences in using IRE for tumor ablation in Taiwan. In this study, the investigators will perform IRE for inoperable patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancers. They will receive IRE during the operation of palliative bypass operation including choledochojejunostomy and/or gastrojejunostomy. The investigators will evaluate the potential side effect and ablate effect of tumors, and also follow-up the patients for 2 years to evaluate the overall survival. The investigators will appraisal the clinical feasibility and advantage of the system by this study.