Electrochemotherapy: Local Treatment With an Emerging Evidence Base

Electrochemotherapy combines electric pulses with a selected antineoplastic agent to increase local drug uptake and is available only in some veterinary settings.

Electrodes deliver controlled pulses to a planned tumor field around the time of locally or systemically administered medicine. Technique, drug, anesthesia, field coverage, tissue type, and operator experience affect both risk and result.

It may be discussed for selected superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous, oral, or incompletely excised tumors when surgery or radiation is limited, as an adjunct, or in a palliative local-control plan.

Suitability depends on diagnosis, anatomy, molecular or label criteria where applicable, prior treatment, access, and the intended local or systemic goal. A named modality is not a promise of response and should be compared with surgery, conventional chemotherapy, radiation, or comfort-focused care.

A veterinary oncologist or radiation oncologist should define eligibility, treatment intent, current regulatory or licensing status in the relevant country, monitoring, expected burdens, and alternatives. Product labels and local rules take precedence over summaries.

Veterinary reviews and practice guidelines describe promising results for selected tumors but also substantial heterogeneity and limited comparative evidence. Findings from one tumor, drug, electrode, or protocol cannot be generalized.

Anesthesia, pain, swelling, burns, ulceration, bleeding, tissue necrosis, delayed healing, incomplete field coverage, recurrence, chemotherapy exposure, and damage to nearby structures are possible. Device and drug regulation varies by region.

Risks vary widely across radiation fields, oral targeted medicines, biologics, and intratumoral procedures. Do not transfer instructions between modalities or countries, and do not assume that a biomarker, license, or commercial availability proves benefit for an individual patient.