Electrochemotherapy in Veterinary Oncology: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives

Abstract

Tumor microenvironment represents a key obstacle for the effectiveness of anticancer drugs. Electrochemotherapy involves the systemic or local delivery of lipophobic drugs such as bleomycin and cisplatin, with the application of permeabilizing electric pulses having appropriate amplitude and waveforms. This greatly enhances the uptake of these drugs by an estimated factor of 700-fold for bleomycin and 4 to 8 times for cisplatin. Because of its efficacy and limited morbidity, this therapeutic option is becoming more and more available in veterinary oncology either as an adjuvant to surgery or as first line of treatment with palliative or curative purposes.

Keywords: Biphasic pulses; Bleomycin; Carcinoma; Cisplatin; Electroporation; Mast cell tumor; Pets; Sarcoma.