Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with eye cancer treated successfully with electrochemotherapy
By Larsen, Majbritt M E et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2025·Evidensia Specialist Animal Hospital Helsingborg·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin for bilateral ocular squamous cell carcinoma in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Haflinger gelding was treated for squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) in both eyes. The treatment involved injecting a chemotherapy drug called bleomycin directly into the tumors, followed by a procedure called electrochemotherapy, which uses electric pulses to enhance the drug's effectiveness. The horse responded very well, with complete removal of the tumors and no signs of them coming back during follow-up. The treatment was safe, causing only mild side effects without harming the surrounding healthy tissue.
People also search for: horse eye cancer treatment · squamous cell carcinoma in horses · bleomycin for horse tumors
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the procedure and outcome of electrochemotherapy (ECT) with bleomycin as a first-line treatment for bilateral ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) in the eye of a horse. ANIMAL STUDIED: A client-owned 5-year-old Haflinger gelding with limbal-conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma. PROCEDURES: During general and local anesthesia, injection of bleomycin in the ocular tumor was followed by electroporation, applied with a 15 mm needle electrode, needles held parallel to the ocular surface. RESULTS: Treatment with ECT resulted in therapeutic electric pulses and complete tumor response with no recurrence during follow-up. Tumor toxicity as a result of treatment was mild, with no adverse effect to normal tissue. CONCLUSIONS: In this case of bilateral ocular tumors, staged ECT with bleomycin was shown to be a safe and effective treatment with complete tumor remission and no recurrence during the observation period. The result suggests ECT as a possible treatment in ocular tumors, with further research recommended.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39681541/