VCA veterinary surgical oncologist Emily Manor, DVM, DACVIM, explains how chemotherapy treatment uses medication to try to kill cancer cells. This can be targeting rapidly dividing cells or specific mutations of the cancer.
VCA veterinary medical oncologist Cecilia Lopez, DVM, DACVIM, explains that chemotherapy has several goals: to slow down or reduce tumors; to treat the whole body - useful for cancers with a high risk for spreading; or to help provide excellent quality of life, with very few side effects.
VCA veterinary surgical oncologist Emily Manor, DVM, DACVIM, explains how, contrary to humans, animals receiving chemotherapy generally do not suffer side effects like vomiting, diarrhea or hair loss.
VCA veterinary medical oncologist Cecilia Lopez, DVM, DACVIM, talks about some of the most common side effects from chemotherapy, including gastrointestinal disturbance or suppression of the bone marrow.
VCA veterinary surgical oncologist Emily Manor, DVM, DACVIM, explains how chemotherapy generally does not cause hair loss in pets the same way as with humans. The hair/fur can beome a bit thinner, and take longer to grow back from shave sites, and cats can sometimes lose their whiskers.
VCA veterinary medical oncologist Christine Merrick, DVM, DACVIM, explains how electrochemotherapy consists of a low dose of chemotherapy injected into the tumor site, followed by an electrical current that traps the medication in the cancer cells leading to cell death.
VCA veterinary medical oncologist Cecilia Lopez, DVM, DACVIM, explains that integrated oncology is the ability to treat cancer with mutliple methods, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Multi-modal treatment means that more than one method is being used on the same cancer.
