Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a treatment for cutaneous tumors in cats and dogs. It allows the drug to reach its intracellular target and consists of an injection of a chemotherapeutic agent followed by local electrical pulses.
Tumor cells are made transiently permeable by electric pulses, then cytotoxic agents can better act on their
intracellular target resulting in increased efficiency with decreased side effects of the chemotherapy drugs. The
use of proper electric pulses of suitable duration and amplitude preserves the viability of cells. The membrane
reseals a few minutes after the pulse. This treatment is selective to tumor cells. These cells are more sensitive to
cytotoxic agents (effective intracellular targets over the cell cycle). They are also more sensitive to electric
pulses. ECT allows activation of the immune system through the massive release of tumor antigens indeed, it has
been reported that in nude mice, this treatment is less effective compared with immunocompetent mice.
ECT can be used in many types of cancer and can help cure localized and small tumors. In some cases, because
of the low risk of side effects, this treatment is proposed as palliative care for high-risk patients. ECT is an
adjuvant therapy and can be combined with surgery (on larger tumors). It can be offered as an alternative when
owners refuse surgery or radiography, or when tumors cannot be surgically excised. After ECT, tumor cells die
by necrosis and apoptosis. This standard technique used since 2006 on human patients is easy to use and could be
combined with other treatments with minimum risk of side effects.
Local chemotherapy also referred to as intralesional, intraregional, or intratumoral chemotherapy, is the
administration of an anti-cancer drug into a tumor or into the surgery site after removal of the tumor. Local
chemotherapy is considered extra-label drug use in accordance with the Animal Medical Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA). Agents used could be but are not limited to Bleomycin, Cisplatin, or Carboplatin.
Goal: The goal is to improve local tumor control by achieving a high concentration of chemotherapy locally with a low risk of toxicity to the patient’s system.
Side effects: Side effects are rarely serious. The following are the most common: edema (swelling), cellulitis,
redness at the injection site, alopecia (thinning hair), slow re-growth of hair, hair color change, or
hyperpigmentation (darkening color) of the skin. Itchy skin can cause the patient to rub, lick or scratch resulting in irritation, or more severe side effects such as wound formation or infection.
The most serious side effects of Cisplatin are dehiscence, tissue necrosis, draining wounds, and infections that may need to be managed with surgical intervention.
Treatment protocols are subject to change based on the patient’s response to treatment.
