Electrochemotherapy is a selective electrical-based cancer treatment. A thriving treatment depends on the local electric field generated by pairs of electrodes. Electrode damage as deflection can directly affect this treatment pillar, the distribution of the electric field. Mechanical deformations such as tip misshaping and needle deflection are reported with needle electrode reusing in veterinary electrochemotherapy. We performed in vitro and in silico experiments to evaluate potential problems with ESOPE type II electrode deflection and potential treatment pitfalls. We also investigated the extent to which the electric currents of the electroporation model can describe deflection failure by comparing in vitro with the in silico model of potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum). The in silico model was also performed with the tumor electroporation model, which is more conductive than the vegetal model. We do not recommend using deflected electrodes. We have found that a deflection of ± 2 mm is unsafe for treatment. Inward deflection can cause dangerous electrical current levels when treating a tumor and cannot be described with the in silico vegetal model. Outward deflection can cause blind spots in the electric field.

Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer considered rare to humans, but common in dogs. Dogs and humans share genetic homology and environmental risk factors. Improving the treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs could also be relevant to improve procedures in humans. Traditional treatments of osteosarcoma involve surgery and chemotherapy. Such treatments are commonly aggressive and not possible for many patients. Electrochemotherapy emerges as a minimally invasive, effective, and safe treatment alternative. Electrochemotherapy combines applications of high‐intensity electric fields during short periods with anti‐cancer drugs to improve its medicine cytotoxicity. Analyzing the electric field distribution, as well as electric current density, are essential to electrochemotherapy success. This paper brings the first case of a canine osteosarcoma treatment performed with bleomycin and electrochemotherapy. We performed in silico studies with finite element method software to observe the electric field distribution. In silico experiments help to verify possibilities and limitations of treating bone destruction and macro or micro tumor infiltrations around the primary tumor mass. Results show that both needle or plate electrodes are feasible to remove the tumor even with invasion into the bone. Plate electrodes perform well in treating micro infiltrations when associated with conductive gel and direct contact between electrode and bone (without soft tissues). Needle electrodes are effective in treating tumor infiltration on external cortical bone. Multiple applications are needed to cover all cranium layers with sufficient electric field intensity. Electrochemotherapy protocol with needle or plate electrodes does not present sufficient electric current density capable of affecting brain tissue, even in cases of bone destruction.

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