Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
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Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Electrochemotherapy is a treatment that combines chemotherapy with a small electrical current. Doctors use electrochemotherapy started elsewhere in the body and have spread to the skin.
Electrochemotherapy is a way of getting chemotherapy into cancer cells.
It is a combination of:
A special probe sends an electric pulse to the tumour. The electric pulse changes the outer layer of the cancer cell. This makes it easier for the chemotherapy to get inside the cell.
Doctors use electrochemotherapy for cancers that started in the skin. Or cancers that have spread to the skin from elsewhere. These include:
It is a treatment to relieve symptoms for people with cancers affecting their skin. It can help to control symptoms when other treatments are no longer working.
Most people who have this treatment have some improvement in their symptoms. How much it it helps varies from one person to another. You might need more than one treatment to control your symptoms.
You usually have electrochemotherapy as a day patient. But occasionally people need to stay in hospital overnight. You have a general anaesthetic, so you are asleep. Or you might have a local anaesthetic with a drug to make you sleepy (sedation).
You have chemotherapy as either:
an injection into the tumour (intratumoural)
an injection into your bloodstream through a small tube (intravenously)
There are different types of chemotherapy drugs. You might have a chemotherapy drug called cisplatin or bleomycin. You have a lower dose than with standard chemotherapy treatment. This is because the electric pulse helps the chemotherapy get through the cell wall. Lower doses of chemotherapy mean fewer side effects.
Injection in to the tumour
You might have this treatment awake with a local anaesthetic to numb the area. Or you might be asleep (general anaesthetic).
First you have an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the area. The doctor then injects the chemotherapy. You have the electric pulse immediately afterwards.
Injection in to the vein
You usually need to have this while you are asleep, under general anaesthetic.
You have the chemotherapy into a vein. Then eight minutes later, you have the electric pulse to the tumour.
The electric pulse comes from a special machine. Attached to the machine is a probe. The probe is the size of a large pen and has an electrode on it. The doctor puts the electrode against your skin to deliver an electric pulse to the tumour.
Your treatment can take between 10 and 60 minutes, depending on how many tumours you have.
Side Effects of Chemotherapy
Pain
The main side effect is pain in the area where the electrode touches the skin. This is usually mild and lasts for a couple of days. More rarely some people have more severe pain that can last between two and four weeks. Your doctor or clinical nurse specialist will give you some painkillers if you need them.
Muscle contractions
Some people have muscle contractions during the treatment. Your doctor can slightly alter the way they give treatment if this is uncomfortable.
Feeling sick
You might feel sick but this is usually mild and you can have anti sickness medicines.
Infection
Infection in the area you have treatment is rare. Tell your doctor if you notice the area has become redder, swollen, painful or if there is any discharge.
Changes to skin colour
You might notice the colour of your skin changes where you had treatment. It might be darker or lighter. This usually fades with time but can be permanent for some people.
Skin breakdown
The area where you have treatment can form an ulcer or the skin might breakdown. If this happens you will need a nurse to dress it until it heals. This might take a couple of weeks.
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