Ionising radiation
basis, depending on the specifics of the pet, to optimise timing.
Chronic inflammation caused by some diseases can lead to cancer e.g. intestinal cancer in pets can follow long term inflammatory bowel disease in some cases. Prompt and effective treatment of such illnesses may reduce the risk of cancer
Finally, inhalation of tobacco smoke is linked to cancer in pets: many pets spend almost 24 hours a day in the house where chemicals and toxins can linger in the air or furniture. So if people stop smoking in their own homes, they reduce the risk of this type of cancer in their pet.
There are four main forms of treatment of cancer.
early excision of cancerous tissue, as well as a wide margin of normal tissue around it, is still the most effective way of treating many cancers.
with injections and oral medication, has been used for many years to treat cancer. Essentially, these are poisons that selectively act on cells that are dividing rapidly, and since in adult animals, cancer cells are often the main ones that are dividing rapidly, chemotherapy selectively acts on cancer cells. More recent types of chemotherapy include targetted cancer drugs, such as drugs that specifically inhibit cancer growth factors. These are more effective, with fewer side effects compared to traditional chemotherapies. They are already available for specific cancers in dogs such as mast cell tumours and melanomas.
also kills cells, and irradiation is now used as a carefully focussed, computer-mapped beam to treat certain specific cancers in pets, as in people. This does require expensive facilities, and it is not yet available for pets in Ireland.
are the most recent and promising type of treatment for cancers are: this includes infusions with special immune cells, therapeutic cancer vaccines against specific cancer antigens and gene therapy, where the damaged genes in cancer cells are replaced by healthy genes
Treatment of cancer is rapidly developing, led by research at universities and other institutions.
For pet owners, the main message is that much more can be done now than in the past. Cancer may be a serious challenge, but science is tackling that challenge in new and exciting ways.
Second, chemotherapy, Immune based therapies