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Chemotherapy in Treating Cancer |
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Eliot Kaplan, DVM
Chemotherapy in treating cancer is basically the destruction of cancer, utilizing drug therapy. Many of the drugs used are severely toxic to the cancer as well as to the patient. Because of this, chemotherapy should be done by veterinarians that are experienced with the drugs that are used and who know how to deal with the possible side effects.
If these drugs are so toxic, then why should chemotherapy even be attempted in veterinary medicine? Chemotherapy has been widely used in dogs and cats for over 25 years. As a result, much data has been collected which proves that chemotherapy can be very beneficial for certain patients with specific types of malignant cancers.
The cancer in which chemotherapy is most often used is lymphosarcoma. This is a cancer that can take many forms, but it always involves a type of white blood cell called the lymphocytes. The drugs used to treat this kind of cancer have an affinity to kill lymphocytes, especially malignant or cancerous lymphocytes. Dogs and cats that are treated for lymphosarcoma often live 6-12 months longer than without treatment. In addition, most of these patients live very well. That is to say, after the initial induction period of the chemotherapy that lasts around a month, the patients usually show very few, if any, signs of their disease and lead normal lives. I have actually had some patients that have remained in remission (cancer-free) for over 3 years after chemotherapy was initiated.
The most important element in having a pet treated with chemotherapy is the veterinarian, who should be experienced with chemotherapy, is knowledgeable enough to give the client all the pros and cons of treating cancers in his or her pet, and is available for the client and patient on a daily basis in case the patient takes a turn for the worse. In my practice, I do not work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, but I make sure that a client whose pet I am treating with chemotherapy always has a way in which to get in touch with me in case I am needed. In this way, the patient can derive the maximum benefit from the treatment and if problems occur, help is always available. |
