Chester Zoo’s python cured of cancer with pioneering electrochemotherapy treatment

A 4.5-meter (15-foot), 23-year-old reticulated python named Jodie Foster has been declared cancer-free after receiving a combined surgery and electrochemotherapy treatment at Chester Zoo in the UK on August 21, 2026 ^{[1, 2]}.

Jodie Foster was diagnosed with a malignant fibrosarcoma tumour in her jaw. Initial surgery removed the tumour, but it recurred and began invading the jawbone ^{[1, 3, 2]}. Due to the tumour's growth, veterinarians faced the risk of losing the python as the cancer hindered her ability to eat. Ian Ashpole, veterinary officer at Chester Zoo, said, "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" ^[1].

Zoo veterinarians teamed with cancer specialists from the University of Liverpool to adapt electrochemotherapy (ECT), a treatment normally used on humans but previously applied only to other reptiles like turtles and lizards, for use in the python ^{[1, 3, 2]}. Electrical pulses combined with the drug bleomycin increase cancer cell permeability to enhance drug uptake ^{[1, 3, 2]}. The approach involved surgery to remove the tumour and affected jawbone tissue, followed by ECT targeting remaining cancer cells ^{[1, 3, 2]}.

Due to Jodie Foster's size, approximately 50 kg and 4.5 meters long, the surgery lasted 90 minutes and required two operating tables pushed together to accommodate her. Ashpole noted, "She is so big we had to put two operating tables together, effectively making one the size of a double bed" ^{[1, 3]}.

Following treatment, Jodie Foster is reported to be cancer-free, eating normally, and has returned to her "bright and feisty" behavior ^{[1, 3, 2]}. Jose Alvarez Picornell from the University of Liverpool said, "Electrochemotherapy is an emerging treatment and this was the first time it had been used in a snake," calling the success "a testament to the power of collaboration" ^{[3, 2]}.