Electrochemotherapy
When we treat patients, we look at the big picture, from surgery to chemotherapy to radiation therapy. But when local control of a tumor cannot be achieved with surgery alone or when surgery is not an option, electrochemotherapy may be used for long-term localized control of the tumor in order to maintain function and quality of life.
Safe and Effective
Electrochemotherapy is a local treatment that uses a combination of chemotherapy medications and electric pulse therapy. Chemotherapy is administered to the patient, and electric pulses are applied to the treatment field when the medication reaches maximum tumor concentration. The electric pulses open the tumor cell membranes and increases the absorption of the chemotherapy by up to a thousand-fold more than chemotherapy alone. Electrochemotherapy requires sedation, however the procedure itself often takes 10-20 minutes, and the patient can go home the same day. In some cases, tumor control is seen in as little as one treatment.
Fewer side effects
Electrochemotherapy's side effects are minimal and limited to the treatment field. The severity depends upon the amount of active tumor that is being treated. In most cases, there is little to no aftercare required.
Conditions Commonly Treated Using Electrochemotherapy
- Sarcoid
- Localized Lymphoma
- Melanoma
- Fibrosarcoma
- Perianal Tumors
- Mast Cell Tumor
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma