Medical Gas Plasma Technology: Roadmap on Cancer Treatment and Immunotherapy

Overview

Journal Redox Biol

Specialties Biology
Cell Biology
Endocrinology

Date 2023 Aug 9

PMID 37556976

Authors

Sander Bekeschus

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite continuous therapeutic progress, cancer remains an often fatal disease. In the early 2010s, first evidence in rodent models suggested promising antitumor action of gas plasma technology. Medical gas plasma is a partially ionized gas depositing multiple physico-chemical effectors onto tissues, especially reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Today, an evergrowing body of experimental evidence suggests multifaceted roles of medical gas plasma-derived therapeutic ROS/RNS in targeting cancer alone or in combination with oncological treatment schemes such as ionizing radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Intriguingly, gas plasma technology was recently unraveled to have an immunological dimension by inducing immunogenic cell death, which could ultimately promote existing cancer immunotherapies via in situ or autologous tumor vaccine schemes. Together with first clinical evidence reporting beneficial effects in cancer patients following gas plasma therapy, it is time to summarize the main concepts along with the chances and limitations of medical gas plasma onco-therapy from a biological, immunological, clinical, and technological point of view.

Citing Articles

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Bekeschus S, Roessler K, Kepp O, Freund E Cancers (Basel). 2025; 17(4).

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Rationales of Cold Plasma Jet Therapy in Skin Cancer.

Bekeschus S, Singer D, Ratnayake G, Ruhnau K, Ostrikov K, Thompson E Exp Dermatol. 2025; 34(2):e70063.

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Biomimetic Hydrogels - Tools for Regenerative Medicine, Oncology, and Understanding Medical Gas Plasma Therapy.

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Applications and enhancement strategies of ROS-based non-invasive therapies in cancer treatment.

Guo Q, Tang Y, Wang S, Xia X Redox Biol. 2025; 80:103515.

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Transcriptional Pathways Predisposing to Cancer Oxidative Stress Sensitivity and Resistance Are Shared Between Hydrogen Peroxide and Cold Gas Plasma but Not Hypochlorous Acid.

Singer D, Bekeschus S Cancers (Basel). 2025; 17(2).

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