Python named after Jodie Foster becomes first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment

A 23-year-old python named after Hollywood actress Jodie Foster has been declared cancer-free after undergoing an innovative treatment at a UK zoo, becoming the first snake believed to have been treated with a combination of surgery and electrochemotherapy.

Chester Zoo in northwest England said the 4.5-metre (15-foot) reticulated python, Jodie, made a full recovery after veterinary specialists treated a cancerous tumour that had developed in her jaw.

Zookeepers first became concerned after Jodie, who has lived at the zoo for about two decades, began eating less and spending more time inactive in her enclosure.

Medical tests later confirmed that she had a malignant tumour in her jaw, which was initially removed through surgery. However, the cancer returned, prompting veterinarians to carry out another operation and use electrochemotherapy (ECT) to target any remaining cancerous cells.

ECT combines the cancer drug bleomycin with controlled electrical pulses applied to the tumour site. The electrical pulses temporarily make cancer cells more permeable, allowing the drug to enter them more effectively.

Chester Zoo vet Ian Ashpole said the veterinary team worked with cancer specialists from the University of Liverpool to adapt the treatment for Jodie.

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

“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.”

The procedure involved removing part of Jodie’s jawbone, with the veterinary team taking additional measures to keep her body temperature stable throughout the operation.

Ashpole said two operating tables had to be placed together because of the python’s size, effectively creating a surface as large as a double bed.

“We used heated blankets and warmed air to keep her body temperature stable throughout the operation. After 90 minutes of surgery, she recovered remarkably quickly,” he said.

Following a check-up this week, Chester Zoo confirmed that Jodie is now cancer-free, eating normally and 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 a testament to the power of collaboration.

He said the team plans to formally publish details of the procedure to enable veterinary professionals around the world to learn from and build on the approach.

Jodie was given her name when she arrived at Chester Zoo 20 years ago without a name, with her paperwork marked “JF”, meaning “juvenile female”. The initials also matched those of the Oscar-winning actress.