The state-of-the-art of electrochemotherapy before the ESOPE study; advantages and clinical uses

Electrochemotherapy provides effective local control of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumour nodules of different malignancies. High objective response rate of similar to 80% treated nodules was reported in the majority of clinical studies, with 30-100% long lasting complete responses. This high level of local tumour control was obtained with either systemic drug injection (bleomycin) or local drug injection (cisplatin or bleomycin) with subsequent application of electric pulses to the tumour nodules. The treatment is mostly used for palliation and has in case of in transit metastases of melanoma significant clinical benefit and impact on the quality of life. Furthermore, other clinical uses of electrochemotherapy are: neoadjuvant treatment in form of cytoreductive treatment before conventional treatments, organ and function sparing treatment and treatment of choice of painful and haemorrhagic nodules. Intraoperative treatment of tumours and development of endoluminal electrodes will bring new indications for electrochemotherapy. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.