Cancer treatment for dogs and cats
There are several important treatment-related factors to be considered when planning cancer treatment in dogs. First, the specific indication should be considered. Surgery, radiotherapy, and hyperthermia are dog cancer treatments aimed at eradicating a locally invasive tumor with a low metastatic potential (and potentially curing the animal), although they can be used palliatively in dogs or cats with extensive disease or in those with metastatic disease.
On the other hand, chemotherapy usually does not constitute a curative treatment, although palliation of advanced disease can easily be accomplished for several tumor types. Immunotherapy (the use of biologic response modifiers) also constitutes an adjuvant or palliative approache (i.e. tumors are not cured by immunotherapy alone). In general it is best to use aggressive dogs and cats cancer treatments when the tumor is first detected (because this is when the chances of eradicating every single tumor cell are the highest) rather than to wait until the tumor is in an advanced stage - that is, to "treat big when the disease is small".
In most cases, the highest success rates are obtained by combining two or more dog cancer treatment modalities. For example, the combination of surgery and chemotherapy (with or without immunotherapy) has resulted in a significant prolongation of disease-free survival in dogs with osteosarcoma of the appendicular skeleton and in dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma. Similarly, the combination of radiotherapy and hyperthermia has resulted in a prolongation of disease-free survival in dogs with fibrosarcoma of the oropharynx.
Dogs and cats cancer treatment can be either palliative or curative. Given the current paucity of information regarding specific tumor types and treatments, it is also possible that these two approaches will sometimes overlap (i.e, a treatment initially thought to be palliative may result in cure or vive versa). Every effort should be made to eradicate every single cancer cell in the body shortly after diagnosis. This means taking immediate action rather than wait-and-see attitude.
With very few exceptions, malignancies do not regress spontaneously. therefore, by delaying treatment, in dogs and cats with confirmed malignancy, one is only increasing the probability that the tumor will disseminate locally or systemically, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a cure.
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On the other hand, chemotherapy usually does not constitute a curative treatment, although palliation of advanced disease can easily be accomplished for several tumor types. Immunotherapy (the use of biologic response modifiers) also constitutes an adjuvant or palliative approache (i.e. tumors are not cured by immunotherapy alone). In general it is best to use aggressive dogs and cats cancer treatments when the tumor is first detected (because this is when the chances of eradicating every single tumor cell are the highest) rather than to wait until the tumor is in an advanced stage - that is, to "treat big when the disease is small".
In most cases, the highest success rates are obtained by combining two or more dog cancer treatment modalities. For example, the combination of surgery and chemotherapy (with or without immunotherapy) has resulted in a significant prolongation of disease-free survival in dogs with osteosarcoma of the appendicular skeleton and in dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma. Similarly, the combination of radiotherapy and hyperthermia has resulted in a prolongation of disease-free survival in dogs with fibrosarcoma of the oropharynx.
Dogs and cats cancer treatment can be either palliative or curative. Given the current paucity of information regarding specific tumor types and treatments, it is also possible that these two approaches will sometimes overlap (i.e, a treatment initially thought to be palliative may result in cure or vive versa). Every effort should be made to eradicate every single cancer cell in the body shortly after diagnosis. This means taking immediate action rather than wait-and-see attitude.
With very few exceptions, malignancies do not regress spontaneously. therefore, by delaying treatment, in dogs and cats with confirmed malignancy, one is only increasing the probability that the tumor will disseminate locally or systemically, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a cure.
We would love to hear your pet's story. Please add a comment.
