Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How bleomycin drug moves in dogs treated with electrochemotherapy
By Milevoj, Nina et al.·Published in The veterinary quarterly·2026·Veterinary Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pharmacokinetics of bleomycin in dogs treated with electrochemotherapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 29 dogs with different types of tumors received a treatment called electrochemotherapy, which involves giving a drug called bleomycin along with electric pulses to help the drug work better. The study looked at how the drug moved through the dogs' bodies and found that it had a half-life of about 22 minutes. The results suggest that the timing of the electric pulses after giving bleomycin is important, but there may not be a need to change the dose based on the dog's weight or age. This information can help veterinarians use this treatment more effectively for dogs with tumors.
People also search for: dog tumor treatment bleomycin · electrochemotherapy for dogs · how does bleomycin work in dogs
Abstract
Bleomycin (BLM) is a cytotoxic antibiotic used in veterinary oncology, primarily in electrochemotherapy (ECT), a local ablative therapy where electric pulses increase drug uptake in tumours. BLM is administered intravenously or intratumourally, with the standard intravenous dose for dogs being 15,000 IU/m², followed by electric pulses 8-10 minutes later. This protocol is derived from human oncology and lacks extensive pharmacological data in dogs. We studied BLM pharmacokinetics in 29 dogs with various tumours treated with intravenous BLM and ECT between 2017 and 2023. Samples were collected from serum of 15 dogs, serum and tumours of 8 dogs, and tumours of 6 dogs. The mean volume of distribution (Vd) of BLM was 224.5 ± 75.02 ml/kg, clearance (CL) was 7.04 ± 2.05 ml/kg/min, and area under the curve (AUC) was 65.87 ± 2.11 µg·min/l. The half-life (t₁₂) of BLM in dogs was 22.03 ± 0.88 minutes. No significant difference was found in tumour BLM concentrations between 8 minutes post-administration and 2 minutes after pulse completion. These results support the recommended 8-28-minute window for applying electric pulses following intravenous BLM administration and may indicate no need for dose adjustments based on body weight or age.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41879177/