Animal cancer treatment

Problems of oncology remain in the center of attention of veterinarians around the world due to the constant increase in morbidity and poor treatment forecasts. Oncological diseases are a serious problem of our time, because of which many lives are dying out, including not only human ones. Cancer in animals today is one of the most common reasons for owners to contact a veterinarian-oncologist. Unfortunately, the number of requests for such diseases does not decrease, and their timeliness depends entirely on the owners.

What animals are prone to cancer? Each type of animal has its own statistics of tumor formation. For example, cats are more susceptible to breast cancer, which is accompanied by rapid metastasis. While dogs are more susceptible to other forms of malignant tumors, their age unites them. Most often, animals over 4 years old suffer from oncological diseases.

How to treat cancer?

There are two methods of treating cancer patients: surgical and conservative.

The surgical method of treatment involves an extended operation, but today the advantages are given to minimally invasive surgery. Minimally invasive surgery is performed using mini-accesses or endoscopic equipment with minimal trauma to the tissues and surrounding structures.

The conservative method of treatment includes:

Chemotherapy . Treatment is carried out with cytotoxic antitumor drugs ( doxorubicin, vincristine and other drugs) that can stop the development of tumor cells or cause their irreversible damage and death.

Radiation therapy refers to local methods of treatment, as it affects only the tumor cells in the area of radiation. Radiation therapy has limited use in veterinary medicine due to expensive equipment and complex maintenance, but has been successfully used by veterinary oncologists to treat inoperable neoplasms.

The method of photodynamic therapy is based on selective absorption of laser radiation by tumor cells.

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which The veterinary specialist will tell you about.

Immunotherapy is used in conjunction with other methods of treating tumors to maintain immunity and activate the defenses of the animal’s body.