Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous solid tumors in equids: A retrospective study

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) promotes the increased uptake of antitumor agents through the administration of permeabilizing electric pulses, thus enhancing chemotherapy effectiveness.

Our study aimed to describe the tolerability and efficacy of ECT alone or in association with surgery to manage solid neoplasms in equids.

Medical records of equids with a diagnosis of malignant tumors treated with ECT alone or in combination with surgery were retrospectively evaluated. Each equid received local treatment within the tumors or the tumors' bed with cisplatin at the dose of 0.5 mg/cm². Trains of permeabilizing biphasic electric pulses were then applied under spinal or general anesthesia.

Sixteen equids were enrolled in this study. There were nine melanoma cases, four fibrosarcoma, and three squamous cell carcinoma. Of those 16 equids, 7 received ECT for treatment of intraoperative local disease, while in 9 cases, ECT was the only treatment modality. The seven equids treated with the combination of ECT and surgery still have no evidence of disease at different times ranging from 9 to 60 months. The remaining nine had the following responses: two complete remissions, five partial responses, one stable disease, and one progressive disease. The treatment was well-tolerated, and local side effects were minimal. No systemic effects were documented.

This retrospective study suggests that ECT may be beneficial for equids with solid neoplasms and could be a useful addition to the current therapeutic options considering its low cost, limited toxicity, and ease of administration.