Table 3.

Overview of all the Methods of Chemical Enhancement of IRE With Their Advantages and Drawbacks.

Methods	Compounds	Advantages	Drawbacks	References
ECT	Bleomycin, cisplatin, and carboplatin	Cell toxicity can be enhanced by electroporation Significant antitumor effect on tumor growth and increased tumor ablation zone Significant increase in cell death for the pulmonary metastases of pancreatic cancer	Postoperative respiratory failure, oxygen sensitivity, alveolar cell damage, and subsequent pulmonary inflammation Strict control of the dosage Clinically difficult injection due to the risk of dissemination of tumor cells	21,24,32,41,42,43,44,45
Calcium electroporation	Calcium	Larger ablation zone Similar therapeutic results as ECT but milder side effects in the treatment of metastatic skin tumors Higher sensitivity to cancer cells than normal cells Low cost of treatment	Mechanism not fully understood Efficacy in the treatment of large and heterogeneous tumors unknown	46,48,50,51,76
Modification of cell membrane	DMSO and SDS	Less toxic and less harmful to normal tissue Increase in cell membrane permeability Increase in the ablation zone and decrease in the electric threshold value of IRE	Clinical safety unknown Lack of clinical data Few surfactants available	52,55,56,69
Modifying the microenvironment	Culture medium and glucose	No chemical agents involved Suitable to tumors in a low glucose concentration	Few modifying methods available Mechanism not fully understood	57,59,61,62

Abbreviations: DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; ECT, electrochemotherapy; IRE, irreversible electroporation; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate.