Bibliographic update. ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY AS TREATMENT OF SKIN TUMORS

Abstract

Skin cancer has been an increasing reason for consultation in recent years. The first-line treatment is surgical resection with adequate margins.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an alternative treatment for patients with comorbidities or special tumor locations who are not candidates for surgical treatment. This therapy is based on the combination of electroporation and intravenous chemotherapy (the most used is bleomycin). Electroporation consists of the application of reversible high-voltage electrical pulses to tissues, which allows the formation of pores and, thus, the entry into the cell of bleomycin circulating in the blood. Once the drug is in the cell, it causes the cleavage of deoxyribonucleic acid chains, leading to cell death when the cell enters the mitosis phase. Thus, ECT has selectivity on cells with a high replication rate and respects healthy tissue. As bleomycin is a hydrophilic molecule, it does not penetrate cells that have not gone through the electroporation process, allowing for favorable cosmetic results.

The beneficial effects of ECT are evaluated 30 to 45 days after treatment and another session can be repeated if necessary.