Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with footpad tumor treated successfully with electrochemotherapy
By Spugnini, Enrico P et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2008·S.A.F.U. Department, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ganglioneuroblastoma in a cat: a rare neoplasm treated with electrochemotherapy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male cat suddenly started limping due to a mass on his right hind foot. After tests, the mass was identified as a rare tumor called ganglioneuroblastoma. The cat received three treatments of electrochemotherapy, which involved injecting a medication directly into the tumor. Remarkably, the tumor completely disappeared within a week after the last treatment, and the cat stayed tumor-free for over a year before a small recurrence occurred. Another treatment led to another remission, and the cat remained healthy for 450 days after that.
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Abstract
An 8-year-old male castrated cat was referred for sudden onset of lameness. Physical examination revealed a 1x2x1cm mass originating from a footpad of the right hind leg. A diagnosis of ganglioneuroblastoma was suggested by the tumour appearance following histopathological staining with haematoxylin and eosin and haematoxylin/van Gieson. Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament and S100 further confirmed the diagnosis. The staging process did not indicate metastatic spread. The cat was treated with three sessions of electrochemotherapy (ECT) 1 week apart, following local injection of bleomycin. The tumour had completely regressed within 1 week of the third ECT application and remained in remission for 402 days at which time a small recurrence was noted. The animal was given a further session of ECT using intra-lesional cisplatin and again went into remission. It remained tumour free at 450 days. Electrochemotherapy is considered a safe and effective treatment for localised neoplasms of cats and dogs and warrants further investigation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17910926/