title: Electrochemotherapy as palliative treatment in patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Local progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) after failure of standard therapies may cause pain, ulceration, and bleeding. As patients are fully aware of the tumor growth, they might suffer high grade anxiety. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a new local palliative treatment for skin metastases of malignant melanoma or other tumors, including squamous head e neck cancer patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of ECT in patients with local progression of PTC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four patients with local progression of PTC were treated with ECT based on Bleomycin, and evaluated according to tumor response, local pain and side effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all cases, some grade of tumor response was observed, lasting 6, 7, 12 and 8 months, respectively. Also, reduction of local pain and anxiety was registered in all patients. Tumor infiltrated skin necrosis was the only collateral effect of the treatment. ECT induced a tumor response in all PTC patients with improvement of symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ECT may be an option for local palliative treatment in PTC patients with local tumor progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Grau
authors.affiliation: ENT Surgical Oncology Section, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universida de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: mcaba@clinic.ub.es.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universida de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristobal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langdon
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universida de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernal-Sprekelsen
authors.affiliation: ENT Surgical Oncology Section, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Blanch
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D053672:Electrochemotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010166:Palliative Care; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D001761:Bleomycin
keywords: Bleomicina; Bleomycin; Câncer de cabeça e pescoço; Electrochemotherapy; Eletroquimioterapia; Head and neck cancer; Palliative therapy; Terapia paliativa; Thyroid; Tireoide