Author/Editor		Tozon, Nataša; Pavlin, Darja; Serša, Gregor; Dolinšek, Tanja; Čemažar, Maja
Title		Electrochemotherapy with intravenous bleomycin injection: an observational study in superficial squamous cell carcinoma in cats
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik 16, št. 4
Publication year		2014
Volume		str. 291-299
ISSN		1098-612X - Journal of feline medicine and surgery
Language		eng
Abstract		The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electrochemotherapy with bleomycin for treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in cats. Between March 2008 and October 2011, 11 cats with 17 superficial SCC nodules in different clinical stages (ranging from Tis to T4), located on nasal planum (6/11), pinnae (3/11) and both locations (2/11), were included in a prospective non-randomised study. Sixteen of 17 SCC nodules were treated with electrochemotherapy (ECT) (15/16 with single session and in one case with two sessions); one nodule was surgically removed. Altogether, complete response (CR) was achieved for 81.8% (9/11) cats and 87.5% (14/16) nodules, lasting from 2 months up to longer than 3 years. Only 2/9 cats in which CR was initially observed, had recurrence 2 and 8 months after the ECT procedure. In the remaining two cats with highly infiltrative spread into adjacent tissues, progression of the disease was observed, despite ECT, and both were euthanased 4 and 5 months after the procedure. ECT in cats was well tolerated and no evident local or systemic side effects were observed. The results of this study suggest that ECT is a highly effective and safe method of local tumour control of feline cutaneous SCCs. It should be considered as an alternative treatment option, especially when other treatment approaches are not acceptable by the owners, especially owing to their invasiveness, mutilation or high cost.
Keywords		elektrokemoterapija bleomicin ploščatocelični rak mačke electrochemotherapy bleomycin squamous cell carcinoma cats