Radiation Oncology

If the biopsy comes back positive for cancer, your vet may refer you to a cancer specialist called a veterinary oncologist. The oncologist will examine your pet and create a treatment plan based on the type, location and severity of the cancer. Believe it or not, today’s cancer treatment for pets uses similar methods to human medicine. Your pet’s plan could include surgery and/or chemotherapy.

A third option for your pet’s treatment is radiation. Radiation oncology is a veterinary specialty that entails the use of controlled radiation to treat cancer. This is called radiation therapy and it’s another option that could be included in your pet’s treatment plan on its own or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. Watch our video to see what the process of radiation therapy looks like for both cats and dogs.

The actual procedure is similar to shining a beam of light on the affected area. Only the tissues that fall within that beam receive the treatment.

In most cases, radiation therapy cannot be given in one large dose without causing complications to normal tissues. So this therapy is administered to your pet in small doses over multiple daily treatments. This provides the best chance of tumor control while minimizing damage to the normal tissues.

At BluePearl, we take pride in staying at the forefront of veterinary medical advancements. Several of our hospitals use image-guided technology, such as a linear accelerator, to focus radiation treatments with extreme accuracy. That means that doctors can effectively destroy cancer cells with minimal effect on the healthy surrounding tissue.

Because patients must remain perfectly still during each treatment, they are put under anesthesia. Although there is a small risk associated with repeated anesthetic events, each patient is monitored very closely during his or her treatment. In addition, only short-acting anesthetic drugs are used to minimize side effects and to allow patients to wake quickly.

At BluePearl, radiation therapy treatments are done by appointment. Each treatment only takes 15-30 minutes on average. Your pet can typically go home the same day he receives treatment.

For some pets, their cancer can be cured with radiation therapy. In other instances, radiation can be used to reduce the size of the tumor and relieve pain or other symptoms to help make the pet more comfortable.

If you are concerned about the side effects of radiation therapy, you can rest easy. “Overall, dogs, cats, and other animals tolerate radiation therapy better than people,” says Dr. Lee.

Side effects occur only in the area that is treated with radiation, which includes the tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue surrounding it. Some minor changes are expected during and right after the full course of treatment, such as hair loss and irritation of the skin or other tissues.

For each patient undergoing full course radiation therapy, we expect to see some degree of these effects. However, they are temporary. We can usually alleviate any discomfort a patient may experience by administering topical or oral medications.

Some changes may not develop until months or possibly even years after completing the full course of treatment. Our protocols are carefully planned to try to avoid any late-occurring side effects.

In situations where recovery isn’t possible, radiation therapy can be used to provide palliative (relief from suffering) care to make the patient more comfortable.