UK Zoo Cures Cancer-Stricken Python With Pioneering Treatment 

A UK zoo has announced that a 23-year-old python named after Hollywood actress Jodie Foster has recovered from cancer following an innovative treatment that combined surgery with electrochemotherapy.

Chester Zoo in northwest England said the 4.5-metre (15-foot) reticulated python became the first snake known to have undergone the pioneering cancer treatment.

The veterinary team treated the python after a malignant tumour developed in her jaw. The tumour was initially removed through surgery but later returned, prompting a second operation combined with electrochemotherapy (ECT).

Chester Zoo said Jodie Foster has since made a full recovery and is now cancer-free, eating normally and behaving as usual.

Zoo veterinarian Ian Ashpole said staff became concerned after Jodie, who has lived at the zoo for about two decades, began eating less and spending longer periods inactive in her enclosure.

Medical examinations confirmed that she had a cancerous tumour in her jaw, which was surgically removed. When the growth returned, veterinarians carried out another operation and introduced ECT to destroy cancer cells that could have remained after surgery.

“We were facing the possibility of losing her as the tumour made it more and more difficult for her to eat,” Ashpole said.

He said the veterinary team consulted cancer specialists at the University of Liverpool to determine whether the treatment, commonly used in human medicine, could be adapted for a snake.

“As far as we’re aware, this is the first time it’s ever been used in one,” he said.

Electrochemotherapy combines a cancer drug, bleomycin, with controlled electrical pulses delivered to the affected area. The electrical pulses temporarily increase the permeability of cancer cells, allowing the drug to penetrate them more effectively.

The size of the python presented an unusual challenge for the veterinary team. Ashpole said two operating tables had to be placed together to create a surface roughly the size of a double bed.

The procedure involved removing part of Jodie’s jawbone. Veterinary staff also used heated blankets and warm air to maintain her body temperature during the operation.

Despite the 90-minute surgery, Ashpole said the python recovered remarkably quickly.

A follow-up examination this week confirmed that Jodie was free of cancer and had resumed normal eating habits.

The zoo described her as being back to her “bright and feisty” self.

Jose Alvarez Picornell of the University of Liverpool’s Department of Small Animal and Clinical Sciences described the successful treatment as an example of the benefits of collaboration between veterinary and cancer specialists.

He said the team’s work could help advance cancer treatment for other animals.

Picornell added that the researchers planned to formally publish details of the procedure so veterinary professionals worldwide could study the approach and potentially develop it further.

Although electrochemotherapy has previously been used to treat cancer in some animals, including turtles and lizards, the Chester Zoo team said its application in a snake appears to be unprecedented.

Jodie Foster was given her name when she arrived at Chester Zoo two decades ago without a name. Her paperwork identified her only as “JF,” meaning “juvenile female,” but the initials also matched those of the Oscar-winning actress.