Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma in cats: a preliminary report.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Spugnini, Enrico P et al.
- Affiliation:
- S.A.F.U. Department · Italy
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of skin cancer, is fairly common in cats, especially those exposed to the sun. In a study involving nine cats with SCC, researchers used a treatment called electrochemotherapy, which combines a medication called bleomycin with electric pulses to help the medicine work better. Each cat received two treatment sessions a week apart, and the side effects were very mild, mainly some redness on the nose. Impressively, seven out of the nine cats showed complete improvement that lasted for up to three years. Overall, this treatment appears to be a safe and effective option for managing sun-related skin cancers in cats, suggesting it could be worth exploring further.
Abstract
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the skin are commonly described in cats. Reported treatments include surgery, radiation therapy and photodynamic therapy. This preliminary study reports on the management of these lesions combining the local administration of bleomycin (plus hyaluronidase for a more uniform distribution) with permeabilizing biphasic electric pulses. Nine cats with SCC graded T(2)-T(4) were treated over a 5 year period, and each cat received two sessions of electrochemotherapy (ECT) 1 week apart. The side effects of this treatment were minimal and limited to mild erythema of the nose. Seven of the cats (77.7%) had a complete response lasting up to 3 years. ECT seems to be a safe and effective option for the treatment of feline sun-induced squamous cell carcinomas and warrants further investigation.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17904882/