title: Intraoperative versus postoperative electrochemotherapy in high grade soft tissue sarcomas: a preliminary study in a spontaneous feline model.
abstract: Feline soft tissue sarcomas are spontaneous, rapidly growing, and aggressive neoplasms that mimic their human counterpart. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of electrochemotherapy (ECT) in an adjuvant fashion for the treatment of feline sarcomas, and the possibility of repeated treatments in the case of recurrence. Cats with fibrosarcoma (FSA) were assigned to receive surgery or surgery plus ECT. Feline patients recruited in the ECT study were enrolled in a microscopic arm (39 patients) or a macroscopic arm (19 patients) on the basis of their tumor status (absence or presence of gross disease). Patients received local injection of bleomycin followed by bursts of eight biphasic pulses at a voltage of 1,300 V/cm for postoperative and of 800 V/cm for intraoperative treatments. The median time to recurrence was 4 months for cats treated with surgery alone, 19 months for the postoperative cohort, and 12 months for the intraoperative group. Moreover, ten patients with recurring neoplasms were retreated and experienced responses lasting 6 to 28+ months. Side effects were minimal. Of interest, the metastatic rate (1.7%) in our patients was negligible: only one cat had distant spread. The results suggest that ECT is a well tolerated and potentially useful addition to surgery in controlling high-grade sarcomas. On the basis of these results, additional evaluations are warranted in pets and in humans.
authors.affiliation: SAFU Department, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Via delle Messi d' Oro, 156, 00158, Rome, Italy. info@enricospugnini.net
authors.forename: Enrico P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Spugnini
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vincenzi
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bongiorni
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellelli
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Citro
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porrello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D053672:Electrochemotherapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001761:Bleomycin