Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42018579›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Antitumoral immunity induced by gel ethanol ablation to treat unresectable colorectal cancer metastases in the liver.

Jeffrey Yang, Robert Morhard, Hannah Huth, Baktiar Karim, John W Karanian, Bradford J Wood, Andrew S Mikhail, Jenna L Mueller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jeffrey YangFischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7839-7277
Robert MorhardCenter for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Hannah HuthCenter for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Baktiar KarimMolecular Histopathology Laboratory, Laboratory Animal Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
John W KaranianCenter for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Bradford J WoodCenter for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Andrew S MikhailCenter for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9206-5765
Jenna L MuellerFischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5198-8491

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A quarter of CRC patients develop liver metastases. Treatment options for liver metastases include surgically removing the tumors or undergoing liver transplantation; however, many patients are ineligible for these treatments due to severe extrahepatic disease or lack of suitable donors. Radiofrequency ablation offers an alternative local treatment modality for resolving CRC liver metastases and is known to generate antitumoral effects to stunt contralateral tumor growth. However, radiofrequency ablation is not suitable for tumors situated near critical structures or large blood vessels. Ethanol ablation is an alternative treatment option where pure ethanol is directly injected into tumors to induce necrosis and is unhindered by the drawbacks from radiofrequency ablation. The addition of ethyl cellulose with ethanol (EC-ethanol) enhances its retention within tissue and subsequently improves tumor ablative efficacy. However, the antitumoral response following EC-ethanol ablation in CRC tumors is poorly understood. Thus, we utilized a CRC murine model to investigate the immune effects following EC-ethanol treatment. Studies in the single flank model demonstrated up to a 27-fold increase in IL-6 and KC/GRO pro-inflammatory cytokines within 6 hours post-treatment compared to sham treatments, along with a 4-fold increase in target-tissue necrosis and increased cytotoxic T-cells within the vicinity of the ablation zone over 7 days. Studies in the bilateral flank tumor model demonstrated that EC-ethanol ablation on the primary tumor resulted in a 1.6-fold increase in cytotoxic T-cells within the contralateral tumor after 7 days compared to the sham control group. Combining EC-ethanol treatment with radiofrequency ablation resulted in a more pronounced, 2-fold increase in cytotoxic T-cells within the contralateral tumor. Altogether, these results suggest that EC-ethanol potentiates antitumoral effects in CRC tumors and is a strong therapeutic candidate for treating CRC patients worldwide.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsEthanolLiver NeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorFemaleGelsHumansMiceEthanolGels

Identifiers

PMID42018579
PMCPMC13102203

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC0
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.