title: Patterns of tumor response in canine and feline cancer patients treated with electrochemotherapy: preclinical data for the standardization of this treatment in pets and humans.
abstract: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a novel anticancer therapy that is currently being evaluated in human and pet cancer patients. ECT associates the administration of an anti-tumor agent to the delivery of trains of appropriate waveforms. The increased uptake of chemotherapy leads to apoptotic death of the neoplasm thus resulting in prolonged local control and extended survival. In this paper we describe the histological features of a broad array of spontaneous tumors of companion animals receiving pulse-mediated chemotherapy. Multivariate statistical analysis of the percentage of necrosis and apoptosis in the tumors before and after ECT treatment, shows that only a high percentage of necrosis and apoptosis after the ECT treatment were significantly correlated with longer survivals of the patients (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.004, respectively). Further studies on this topic are warranted in companion animals with spontaneous tumors to identify new molecular targets for electrochemotherapy and to the develop new therapeutical protocols to be translated to humans.
authors.affiliation: S.A.F.U., Department, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. spugnini.vet@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Enrico P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Spugnini
authors.forename: Feliciano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mellone
authors.forename: Florinda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Feroce
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Avino
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonetto
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vincenzi
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Citro
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D053672:Electrochemotherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents