Veterinary Research Forum
Vet Res Forum

Preliminary assessment of electrochemotherapy feasibility in dogs with vesical transitional cell carcinoma

Document Type : Clinical Report

Authors

Denner Santos Dos Anjos 1
Rafaela Guedes Buosi 2
Isadora Roratto 3
Luciane dos Reis Mesquita 4
Oscar Rodrigo Sierra Matiz 1
Carlos Eduardo Fonseca-Alves 4, 5
Enrico Pierluigi Spugnini 6

1 Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery, São Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil

2 Private Veterinary Practitioner, PetClin Clinic, São Paulo, Brazil

3 Private Veterinary Practitioner, ‎ Botucatu Veterinary Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil

4 Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

5 Institute of Health Sciences, Paulista University - UNIP, Bauru, Brazil

6 Biopulse Ltd., Naples, Italy

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2020.113009.2688
Abstract
Electroporation is a technique that increases the uptake of chemotherapeutic drugs by tumors. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) has been successfully used to treat solid tumors. Recently, novel applications have been explored in the treatment of visceral tumors. This report aimed to describe the ECT as an approach to vesical carcinoma in three dogs. The patients received ECT with bleomycin as an intravenous bolus and intra-lesional cisplatin (cases 2 and 3). The ECT was performed by electroporator (Onkodisruptor®) using a plate and/or a single pair needle array electrode. Case 1 was a 7-year-old female Pitbull dog with a history of hematuria and stranguria. The ECT was performed during cystotomy using a single pair array electrode. However, the patient developed uroabdomen two days post-ECT and died 5 days later. Case 2 was a 12-year-old female Poodle dog with hematuria, dysuria, and pollakiuria. Cystotomy and ECT were performed using plate array electrodes. Complete remission of the intra-luminal mass was observed 11 days post-ECT. However, 21 days after the procedure, an acute unilateral renal failure occurred possibly due to a neoplastic embolus into the right ureter leading to kidney hydronephrosis, and the patient was euthanized. Case 3 was a 10-year-old female Cocker dog with hematuria and pollakiuria. The patient was fully competent after ECT without clinical signs of pollakiuria and recovered from hematuria 7 days post-ECT. The bladder returned to normal status 28 days post-ECT. The ECT was not able to increase the overall survival of the patients evaluated and should be indicated carefully.

Keywords

Bleomycin
Electroporation
Electrochemotherapy intraoperative
Transitional cell carcinoma
Visceral tumors
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Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 11, Issue 3
Summer 2020
Pages 289-293

  • Receive Date 17 August 2019
  • Revise Date 13 January 2020
  • Accept Date 12 February 2020

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