Evaluation of electrochemotherapy in the management of apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas in dogs: A retrospective study.

Background: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) combines the administration of anticancer drugs with the delivery of electric pulses, thus increasing the drug uptake through the cell membranes, resulting in increased efficacy. Aim: The aim of our study was to describe the tolerability and efficacy of ECT alone or in association with other treatment modalities for the management of apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGASAC). Methods: Medical records of dogs with a diagnosis of AGASAC that were treated with ECT alone or in combination with surgery/chemotherapy were retrospectively evaluated. Each dog received 20 mg/m2 of bleomycin intravenously. Based on the clinician's decision, the primary tumor or tumor bed was also infiltrated with cisplatin at the dose of 0.5 mg/cm2. Trains of permeabilizing biphasic electric pulses were then applied under general anesthesia. Results: Ten dogs were enrolled in the study. Of those 10 dogs, only one received ECT for treatment of microscopic local disease, while in six cases ECT was the only treatment modality. In three dogs, ECT was followed by systemic medical treatment. Six dogs (60%) had a partial response (PR), three dogs (30%) had stable disease, and one dog treated for microscopic disease did not show any sign of local relapse for 305 days after treatment, being still alive and in complete remission at the time of writing this article. The median time to progression was 303 days and the median survival time was 365 days. The treatment was well tolerated and local side effects were minimal. No systemic effects were documented. Conclusion: This preliminary study suggests that ECT may be beneficial for dogs with AGASAC and could be a useful addition to the current therapeutic options in consideration of its low cost, limited toxicity, and ease of administration.

Adjuvant electrochemotherapy for incompletely excised anal sac carcinoma in a dog.

Canine anal sac gland carcinoma (ASGC) is a frequently described neoplasm that is highly aggressive and can frequently lead to metastatic spread. In this paper, we describe the successful treatment of an incompletely excised ASGC by using cisplatin selectively driven within the tumor cells by trains of biphasic pulses. The dog received two courses of electrochemotherapy 14 days apart. Neither systemic nor local toxicities were detected during the whole course of therapy. The dog is still in complete remission after 18 months. Electrochemotherapy is a safe and efficacious adjuvant therapy for ASGC and warrants further investigation in order to standardize its protocols.

Intraglandular injection of antibiotics for the treatment of vesicular adenitis in bulls.

Two experiments were designed to determine the efficacy of intraglandular antibiotic treatment in beef bulls. Experiment 1 was designed to evaluate the glandular tissue reaction to intraglandular antibiotic treatment. Experiment 2 was conducted to determine the efficacy intraglandular injection of antibiotics for the treatment of naturally occurring cases of vesicular adenitis. Healthy beef bulls (n=15), 2 and 3 years of age, were randomly allocated to three equal treatment groups to receive 10% of the daily recommended parenteral dose of penicillin, ceftiofur, or oxytetracycline in a volume of 6 mL injected directly into one of the vesicular glands. Ultrasonography was performed before, immediately after, and at 24, 48 and 168 h after intraglandular injection. The size and hardness of vesicular glands injected with oxytetracycline was greater (P<0.01) than those injected with ceftiofur. Ultrasonographic pixel intensity increased (P<0.01) after treatment with antibiotics, especially after treatment with oxytetracycline or penicillin. In Experiment 2, yearling beef bulls with clinical vesicular adenitis (n=14) were referred to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine for treatment. Eight bulls had unilateral and six had bilateral vesicular adenitis. The most common isolate was Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was isolated from one bull. Bulls were subjected to rectal palpation and ultrasonography of the vesicular glands, semen collection by electroejaculation, and intraglandular treatment with ceftiofur (n=13) and if necessary, a second intraglandular treatment of penicillin (n=6). One bull was treated only with an initial intraglandular injection of penicillin. Bulls were evaluated once a week over 6 weeks by palpation of the glands, and evaluation of semen. All bulls recovered from vesicular adenitis after 3-6 weeks. There was a difference in the amount of pus (P=0.042), leukocytes (P<0.001) and blood (P=0.003) present in ejaculates from before treatment to 3 weeks after treatment. Pixel intensities in ultrasonographic images of healthy or affected vesicular glands, whether treated or untreated, did not change over time. Intraglandular injection of ceftiofur in yearling bulls via the ischiorectal fossa was effective for treating vesicular adenitis.

Chemical bursectomy of chickens with colchicine applied to the anal lips.

To induce chemical bursectomy, 30 microliter colchicine dissolved in saline solution (1 mg/ml) was applied on the anal lips of White Leghorn chickens once daily for four consecutive days after hatching. Histologic characteristics of the bursa of Fabricius, spleen, thymus, cecal tonsils, and rectal wall were studied 1-7 days after hatching. Total necrosis of the lymphoid cells and the follicle-associated epithelium in the bursa was observed during the four days of colchicine application. The bursal stroma remained unchanged, and only minor changes were found in the interfollicular surface epithelium. After colchicine application ceased, some regeneration of the epithelium, as evidenced by small epithelial buds, was found. At the end of the observation period the epithelial buds were often covered by the follicle-associated epithelium, which was capable of phagocytizing carbon. However, practically no lymphoid repopulation was seen in the buds. Since this method of colchicine application had no direct effect on other lymphoid organs or on the survival or weight of the chickens, this bursectomy model seems to be a new tool for use in studies of bursal function.