Electrochemotherapy of murine melanoma using intratumor drug administration.

Administering a chemotherapeutic agent in combination with electric fields (electrochemotherapy; ECT) has been shown to be an effective localized treatment for solid tumors (1). The drug used most often in this combination treatment has been bleomycin. ECT has been used successfully in both animal studies and clinical trials (1-3). The treatment was initially performed by exposing tumor cells to electrical fields following intravenous injection of the chemotherapeutic agent. Although ECT using intravenous bleomycin was successful, the procedure was limited by the existence of a narrow but optimal time window for effective treatment as well as the fact that a systemic drug dose was being administered for a localized therapy. In addition, the use of intravenous administration also precludes the treatment of patients with poor circulation.