Kyung Hee University Hospital Professors Kwon Byung Soo and Jung Min Hyung Propose New Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Strategy for Ovarian Cancer

From the left, Professor Byungsoo Kwon, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyung Hee University Hospital, and Professor Minhyung Jung.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Domestic researchers have proposed a new intraperitoneal chemotherapy strategy for ovarian cancer, which frequently recurs.

The research team led by Professors Kwon Byung-soo and Jung Min-hyung from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kyung Hee University Hospital announced on the 8th that they published their findings on the potential use and effects of bio plasma in ovarian cancer treatment in the SCI-level international academic journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

Although various new drugs such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies have been developed for ovarian cancer, more than 80% of patients experience recurrence. After recurrence, many cases do not respond to chemotherapy, making it one of the deadliest gynecologic malignancies worldwide.

Professor Kwon explained, "The reason ovarian cancer shows a fatal recurrence rate and treatment resistance is that cancer cells with stem cell properties are involved in chemotherapy resistance, recurrence, and metastasis," adding, "In this study, we examined the effects of plasma activated water, known to be effective not only in sterilization, wound healing, and blood coagulation but also in inhibiting cancer progression, on ovarian cancer treatment."

Considering recent attempts to enhance chemotherapy effectiveness by directly injecting anticancer drugs into the peritoneal cavity, Professor Kwon's team has conducted research over several years to improve the therapeutic effect of anticancer drugs using plasma while reducing the occurrence of chemotherapy resistance that may accompany this treatment method. As a result, when stem cell-like ovarian cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy were treated with plasma activated water, a dose-dependent inhibitory effect was observed, and the expression of stem cell markers decreased.

Professor Kwon stated, "Additionally, bio plasma was confirmed to enhance the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy drug for ovarian cancer, without side effects," and added, "These research results are significant in confirming the potential of bio plasma as a new treatment option for resistant patients who no longer respond to chemical chemotherapy."

Meanwhile, Professor Kwon is currently conducting research supported by the Research Foundation on high-temperature intraperitoneal plasma therapy technology and the development of clinical trial medical devices.

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