Severance Hospital has succeeded in conducting Korea's first irreversible electroporation surgery technique on a 76-year-old liver cancer patient. The patient has since been discharged and is now resuming normal daily activities.

IRE involves creating small gaps of about 2mm in the cancerous tissue by inserting needles directly into the surrounding skin and delivering high-voltage electricity to destroy cancer cells. This treatment utilizes electricity exceeding ten times the voltage of a standard household outlet (220 volts), reaching up to 3000 volts.

IRE, originally developed in the U.S., is now employed worldwide as a treatment for patients with a limited response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Severance Hospital introduced IRE for clinical research purposes in 2016, starting with pancreatic cancer cases. Since then, over 40 patients have undergone the procedure.

IRE works by inducing cell death by creating microscopic holes in the cell membrane when high-intensity electricity is applied. These minuscule openings disrupt the balance within the cancer cells, leading to their demise.

Following treatment, cancer cells are eliminated, and immune cell activity within the body is also enhanced.

The recent recipient of IRE had tumors in close proximity to vital structures such as the hepatic portal vein, making traditional localized treatments using high-frequency or microwave techniques impractical due to the risk of damaging surrounding organs.

As a result, Professors Kim Man-deuk of the Department of Radiology and Kim Do-young of the Department of Gastroenterology opted for IRE due to its ability to precisely target cancerous tissue without generating significant heat energy, thus ensuring the safety of surrounding organs and tissues.

Having successfully undergone the procedure, the patient will continue regular follow-up appointments with Professor Kim Do-young for ongoing monitoring.

While IRE has previously been utilized for pancreatic and prostate cancers, this is the first time that the technology has been used for a liver cancer patient.

"IRE is a relatively new therapeutic technique used in cancer treatment in advanced countries like the U.S. and Europe," Professor Kim Man-deuk said. "Since its introduction in 2016, Severance Hospital has treated over 40 pancreatic cancer patients who were deemed inoperable."

With the successful application of IRE in liver cancer, this hospital plans to expand its use to other types of cancer in the future."

Professor Kim Do-young also said, "Given the tumor's proximity to the hepatic portal vein, traditional heat-based therapies were not viable for the patient and we opted for IRE, which selectively targets the treatment area."

The patient's safe discharge marks the beginning of regular outpatient visits for ongoing monitoring, he added.