title: Electrochemotherapy for the management of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastasis: a series of 39 patients treated with palliative intent.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is technique for local control of skin metastasis. This study is primarily aimed at assessing the clinical activity of ECT in a prospective cohort of patients, and evaluating the association between primary tumor histology, number of metastatic lesions and size of tumor deposits and objective response rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine patients with skin metastases from melanoma and other tumors underwent intravenous bleomycin ECT with palliative intent. No serious adverse events (SAE) or CTC grade 3 or 4 were observed. Overall response rate (ORR) was 66.6%. Response rate significantly correlated at univariate analysis both with the number (< or >10) and the size (< or >2 cm) of metastases. No relationship was observed for the histology of primary tumor. At multivariate analysis the size of the nodules under 2 cm was associated with a positive response and the correlation was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ORR was 66.6% and all patients obtained a subjective clinical benefit from the treatment with minimal side effects. The most suitable patients were the ones with nodules <2 cm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, IRCCS San Martino, IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Solari
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spagnolo
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ponte
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quaglia
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lillini
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battista
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Queirolo
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cafiero
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D015266:Carcinoma, Merkel Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D053672:Electrochemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: bleomycin; electrochemotherapy; electroporation; in-transit metastases; melanoma