ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY AS AN EMERGING ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTION IN NEOPLASMS OF PET BIRDS

Abstract

The management of neoplasms in pet birds holds a significant place in veterinary oncology. Species within the Psittaciformes order are the most commonly diagnosed group and budgerigars are the most frequently affected species. Traditional treatment options for avian neoplasms are often limited and carry potential risks. As the demand for effective and less invasive therapies increases, electrochemotherapy has emerged as a promising alternative in veterinary oncology. The primary objective of this review is to investigate and assess how effective electrochemotherapy can be as a treatment method for neoplasms in pet birds, with a particular focus on Psittaciformes species. Additionally, emphasis is placed on the need to develop standardized protocols to fully confirm the efficacy of electrochemotherapy and achieve the best outcomes in avian oncology.

Keywords

• electrochemotherapy
• electroporation
• electropermeabilization
• avian
• neoplasia

References

1. Robat CS, Ammersbach M, Mans C: Avian oncology: Diseases, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 20 (1): 57-86, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.cvex.1016.07.009
2. Rangel MM, Luz J, Oliveira KD, Ojeda J, Freytag JO, Suzuki DO: Electrochemotherapy in the treatment of neoplasms in dogs and cats. Austral J Vet Sci, 51 (2): 45-51, 2019. DOI: 10.4067/S0719- 81322019000200045
3. Filippich LJ: Tumor control in birds. Semin Avian Exot Pet Med, 13 (1): 25-43, 2004. DOI: 10.1053/S1055-937X(03)00055-0
4. Reavill DR: Tumors of pet birds. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 7 (3):537-v, 2004. DOI: 10.1016/j.cvex.2004.04.008
5. Sutherland M, Ploeg R, Sacks P, Macwhirter P: Avian lumps and bumps: Clinical and histological findings associated with avian tumours, a preliminary review. Association of Avian Veterinarians Australasian Committee Ltd. Annual Conference, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: pp 37-45, 2016.
6. Zehnder AM, Graham JE, Reavill DR, McLaughlin A: Neoplastic diseases in avian species. In, Speer BL (Ed): Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery. 107-141, Elsevier, St. Louis, Missouri, 2016.
7. Lightfoot TL: Overview of tumours. Section 1: Clinical avian neoplasia and oncology. In, Harrison GJ & Lightfood TL (Ed): Clinical Avian Medicine. Vol. 2, 560-565, Spix Publishing, Inc, Palm Beach, 2009.
8. Miesle J: Avian Cancer Etiologies and Diagnostic Protocols. In, Miesle J (Ed): Avian Health and Disease. 2022.

9. Gunkel C, Lafortune MM: Current Techniques in Avian Anesthesia. Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, 14 (4): 263-276, 2005. DOI: 10.1053/j.saep.2005.09.006
10. Brunner CHM, Dutra G, Silva CB, Silveira LMG, Martins MDFM: Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of fibropapillomas in Chelonia mydas. J Zoo Wildlife Med, 45 (2): 213-218, 2014. DOI: 10.1638/2010- 0125.1
11. Spugnini EP, Baldi A: Electrochemotherapy in veterinary oncology: State of the art and perspectives. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract, 49 (5): 967-979, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2019.04.006
12. Cemazar M, Tamzali Y, Sersa G, Tozon N, Mir LM, Miklavcic D, Lowe R, Teissieet J: Electrochemotherapy in veterinary oncology. J Vet Intern Med, 22 (4): 826-831, 2008. DOI: 10.1111/j.1939- 1676.2008.0117.x
13. Geboers B, Scheffer HJ, Graybill PM, Ruarus AH, Nieuwenhuizen S, Puijk RS, Meijerink MR: High-voltage electrical pulses in oncology: Irreversible electroporation, electrochemotherapy, gene electrotransfer, electrofusion, and electroimmunotherapy. Radiology, 295 (2), 254-272, 2020. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2020192190
14. Spugnini EP, Fanciulli M, Citro G, Baldi A: Preclinical models in electrochemotherapy: the role of veterinary patients. Future Oncol, 8 (7): 829-837, 2012. DOI: 10.2217/fon.12.64
15. Gothelf A, Mir LM, Gehl J: Electrochemotherapy: results of cancer treatment using enhanced delivery of bleomycin by electroporation. Cancer Treat Rev, 29 (5): 371-387, 2003. DOI: 10.1016/ s0305-7372(03)00073-2
16. Lanza A, Baldi A, Rossi G, Spugnini EP: Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of an incompletely excised subcutaneous low-grade epithelioid hemangioendothelioma in a budgerigar parakeet (Melopsittacus undulatus). Open Vet J, 9 (3): 269-272, 2019. DOI: 10.4314/ovj.v9i3.13
17. Racnik J, Svara T, Zadravec M, Gombac M, Cemazar M, Sersa G, Tozon N: Electrochemotherapy with cisplatin for the treatment of a nonoperable cutaneous fibroma in a cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). N Z Vet J, 67 (3), 155-158, 2019. DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2018.1564393
18. Racnik J, Svara T, Zadravec M, Gombac M, Cemazar M, Sersa G, Tozon N: Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the uropygial gland in a cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). J Exot Pet Med, 29, 217-221, 2019. DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2018.04.020