Electrochemotherapy for Recurrence and/or Metastatic Skin Cancers: A Prospective Case Series in Iran

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the efficacy of electrochemotherapy on the three common types of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), and melanoma.Methods26 patients with skin cancer were recruited from single cancer treatment centers from 2022 to 2024. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) was performed to treat the cancerous nodules; all nodules in a patient with multiple lesions were treated. However the biggest lesions were always pointed out (according to European Standard Operating Procedures on Electrochemotherapy protocol) and their clinical response and adverse effects were evaluated during the study.Resultstotally, 104 nodules of 26 patients were assessed. Clinical complete response was achieved in 53 lesions, while partial response was observed in 51 lesions after first month of treatment. The most common adverse effect was pain which was in 65% of cases.ConclusionBCC shows a notably higher clinical complete response rate. Because the research was conducted at a single center and given the novelty of this treatment in Iran, the number of patients included in the study was limited. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) has shown significant clinical effectiveness for superficial tumors, especially for patients who have health issues related to standard therapies or who are resistant to conventional treatments. It is generally well-tolerated, with side effects predominantly consisting of temporary pain. Ongoing research aims to expand its use in deep-seated tumors that are resistant to conventional therapies.