Python receives pioneering cancer treatment usually used in humans

By Charlotte Reck, CNN

(CNN) — A 15-foot python has made an impressive recovery after becoming what is believed to be the first snake in the world to receive a pioneering cancer treatment usually used in humans.

The 50-kilogram (110-pound) reticulated python, named after Hollywood star Jodie Foster, lives at Chester Zoo in England’s northwest. Keepers first became concerned for Jodie, aged 23, when her appetite declined and her activity dropped, the zoo said in a press release Friday.

Tests revealed Jodie had a fibrosarcoma – a malignant tumor – in her jaw, which was removed with surgery but later returned and began to invade her jawbone.

The zoo’s veterinary team collaborated with cancer specialists at nearby University of Liverpool to adapt an emerging treatment called electrochemotherapy, readying it for first-time use in a snake.

Now, months after the procedure, Jodie is confirmed cancer-free and back to her “bright and feisty” self.

“When the tumour came back and started destroying part of her jawbone, we knew more surgery on its own probably wasn’t going to be enough,” Ian Ashpole, veterinary officer at Chester Zoo, said in the press release.

“We were facing the possibility of losing her as the tumour made it more and more difficult for her to eat, so we worked with cancer specialists to see whether we could adapt electrochemotherapy for a snake. As far as we’re aware, this is the first time it’s ever been used in one.”

But administrating the life-saving treatment wasn’t the only hurdle Jodie’s medical team faced. First, they had to ensure the surgical suite was kitted out for a patient of her size.

“She is so big we had to put two operating tables together, effectively making one the size of a double bed,” Ashpole said.

Jodie was anaesthetized in her own habitat before being carried into theater.

Ashpole first removed the tumorous mass along with a diseased segment of Jodie’s jawbone. Then, electrochemotherapy was used to target any remaining cancerous cells.

Electrochemotherapy “combines the cancer drug bleomycin with a series of carefully controlled electrical pulses delivered directly” to the tumor site, according to the release.

Despite losing part of her jawbone, Jodie’s appetite and hunting ability have not been affected, the zoo said.

“A few months ago, we genuinely didn’t know whether she’d survive,” Ashpole reflected, “By bringing together zoo vets and cancer specialists, we’ve been able to use a treatment developed for people to save an animal in a way that’s never been done before.”

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