Python treated with electrochemotherapy in world-first veterinary procedure

A 23-year-old reticulated python at Chester Zoo has recovered from a malignant jaw tumour following electrochemotherapy, in what medical experts believe is the first use of the treatment on a snake.

The 4.5-metre (15-foot), 50-kilogram reptile, named Jodie Foster, first alerted zoo keepers to her illness when she began eating less and remaining inactive in her enclosure for extended periods. Veterinary examinations confirmed that she had developed a fibrosarcoma, a form of cancerous tumour, in her jaw. Although surgeons initially removed the mass, the growth returned and began invading her jawbone, leaving her unable to swallow properly and endangering her life.

Because pythons must unhinge their jaws to consume prey larger than their heads, damage to the jawbone posed a severe threat to the snake’s survival. Ian Ashpole, a veterinary officer at the zoo, noted that “more surgery on its own probably wasn’t going to be enough” to save the animal once the bone began deteriorating.

To find a solution, zoo veterinarians partnered with cancer specialists from the University of Liverpool’s department of small animal clinical science to adapt electrochemotherapy for a reptile patient. The treatment combines the chemotherapy drug bleomycin with short, controlled electrical pulses targeted directly at the affected site. These electrical charges temporarily make cancer cell membranes more permeable, allowing the medication to enter the cells more effectively.

Executing the operation required unusual logistical measures because of the python’s immense size. Medical staff anaesthetised the snake in her enclosure before transporting her to the veterinary centre, where two operating tables were pushed together to create a platform roughly the size of a double bed.

During the 90-minute operation, Ashpole excised the cancerous mass along with affected portions of the jawbone before applying the electrical pulses and chemotherapy. Medical assessments conducted months after the surgery confirmed that the snake remains completely free of cancerous tissue. Caretakers report that she has resumed normal feeding habits and can strike, grasp, and swallow food without difficulty.

The python originally received her name after arriving at the zoo with documentation marked “JF” for “juvenile female,” which led staff to name her after the American actor. Following the successful recovery, Jose Alvarez Picornell of the University of Liverpool stated that researchers plan to publish details of the procedure in an academic journal so veterinary professionals globally can apply the technique to other animals.

Background

Electrochemotherapy is a medical technique originally developed for human oncology and increasingly adapted for veterinary medicine, primarily in domestic pets like dogs and cats. It enhances the delivery of chemotherapy drugs into cells by using brief electric pulses to open microscopic pores in cell membranes, minimizing the dosage needed and limiting widespread toxicity.

Reticulated pythons are native to South and Southeast Asia and are among the longest snake species in the world. In captivity, maintaining their health requires specialized care, particularly regarding jaw mechanics, as their feeding method relies on flexible jaw structures to swallow food whole.