A 15-foot python at Chester Zoo is believed to be the first snake in the world to undergo a pioneering cancer treatment.

Jodie, a 50kg reticulated python named after Jodie Foster, underwent the pioneering procedure after vets and cancer specialists at the University of Liverpool adapted the treatment for use in a snake.

Months later, Jodie is cancer-free, eating normally and back to her usual "bright and feisty" self.

Keepers first became concerned when Jodie began eating less and spending more time inactive in her habitat. Tests confirmed she had fibrosarcoma, a malignant tumour in her jaw. Although vets initially removed the tumour, it later returned.

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

Ian Ashpole, veterinary officer at Chester Zoo.

"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."

Experts anaesthetised Jodie in her own habitat using a makeshift operating table the "size of a double bed" before carefully carrying her to the zoo's veterinary centre.

During the 90-minute procedure, Dr Ashpole removed the tumour and performed a hemi-mandibulectomy, removing part of Jodie's diseased jawbone. Electrochemotherapy was then administered to target any remaining cancerous cells.

The treatment combines the cancer drug bleomycin with carefully controlled electrical pulses delivered directly to the tumour site. The pulses temporarily make cancer cells more permeable, allowing the drug to enter more effectively. This can allow lower doses of chemotherapy to be used, often in a single procedure.

"Electrochemotherapy is an emerging treatment, and this was the first time it had been used in a snake," said Jose Alvarez Picornell, department of small animal clinical science at the University of Liverpool.

"The success of this treatment is a testament to the power of collaboration."

The team will formally publish details of the procedure so veterinary colleagues around the world can "learn from and build upon" their approach.

Despite losing part of her jawbone, Jodie's appetite and hunting ability have not been affected.

Pythons can unhinge their jaws to swallow prey many times the size of their head. Months of observation since surgery have shown Jodie continues to strike, grip and swallow food without difficulty.

A final check this week confirmed she remains free of signs that the cancer has returned.

Dr Ashpole added: "Seeing her back to her normal bright and feisty self has been incredibly rewarding.

"It also shows how much veterinary medicine is advancing.

"By bringing together zoo vets and cancer specialists, we've been able to use a treatment developed for people to save an animal in a way that's never been done before."

Jodie was named by keepers when she arrived at Chester Zoo. Her paperwork was marked "JF", shorthand for "juvenile female", and staff decided it suited the name of Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster.