Python named Jodie Foster beats cancer after pioneering treatment
Pioneering cancer treatment saves python named Jodie Foster: UK zoo
A 15-foot reticulated python named Jodie Foster at Chester Zoo in northwest England has fully recovered from cancer after receiving a pioneering treatment that combines surgery and electrochemotherapy (ECT). This marks the first time such a treatment has been used on a snake.
Jodie, who has been at the zoo for 20 years, began experiencing weight loss and inactivity, prompting zookeepers to suspect a tumor in her jaw. Surgery successfully removed the malignant tumor, but it returned, necessitating further intervention with ECT.
Animal experts at Chester Zoo worked alongside cancer specialists from the University of Liverpool to adapt ECT for a snake. ECT combines the cancer drug bleomycin with electrical pulses directed at the tumor site, making cancer cells more permeable to the drug.
The veterinary team faced a significant challenge due to Jodie's size, requiring two operating tables to accommodate her. Despite the challenges, the surgery was successful, and Jodie is now cancer-free, eating normally, and exhibiting her usual bright and feisty demeanor.
The collaborative effort between the Chester Zoo veterinary team and Liverpool University specialists is being hailed as a world-first and a testament to the potential of cross-disciplinary veterinary care. The team plans to publish their findings to share this innovative approach with the global veterinary community.
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