PAW Program provides aid to cancer patients with petsDecember 8, 2022CancerCare, a national organization that has provided assistance to cancer patients for nearly eight decades, aids pet owners in cancer crisis via its Pet Assistance & Wellness (PAW) Program.
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VPN Plus+ ExclusiveThe Leaky Vessel: Extravasation Protocols and AntidotesJuly 14, 2022This presentation by Danielle DeCormier, LVT, VTS (oncology), discusses what to do when chemotherapy administration goes wrong. It covers the common injectable chemotherapeutics and what to do if they get outside the vein. Each drug will be explained as an irritant or vesicant, plus whether or not it has an antidote, and what the suggested protocols are if extravasated. Chemotherapy handling and administration will be addressed in terms of safety and prevention.
'Cancer Bell' gets inaugural ring at Texas A&MJune 2, 2022A seven-year-old mastiff named Henry was recently honored as the first patient to ring Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital’s (SATH’s) new “BTHO Cancer” bell.
Are you ready to comply with USP 800?November 14, 2019Next month, veterinary practices will be expected to comply with new regulations for the safety of health-care workers handling hazardous drugs (HDs), exposure to which can be harmful to veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
Is chemotherapy a viable treatment for lymphoma in horses?June 25, 2019 Lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymphatic system, is a rare medical condition of horses. However, it also is the most common malignant neoplastic condition of the horse system. Horses of any age can be affected, although it more commonly appears earlier in life (from four to 10 years of age). Lymphoma has several manifestations: multicentric, in the gastrointestinal tract, in the skin, and even in discrete settings. This disease can be difficult to recognize initially, and is typically diagnosed after it has progressed, with clinical signs relative to the affected organ or tissue. Routine hematological analysis is often not helpful, as complete blood counts and serum chemistry tests are usually normal. When hematological abnormalities do occur, they typically show as anemia, increased serum protein, and/or fibrinogen. Conversely, low serum protein levels may be seen, as well. A definitive diagnosis is made by identifying neoplastic lymphocytes, usually obtained by analysis of body fluid effusions (e.g. pleural or abdominal fluid, or by fine needle aspiration of affected tissue[s]). Depending on the form of lymphoma and how late in the disease process the horse is presented, the prognosis is usually poor. There are several treatment options, including surgical removal of isolated, …
Osteosarcoma: Beyond amputation and euthanasiaMarch 12, 2019When a patient is diagnosed with osteosarcoma, we tend to focus on three options: • the "gold standard," i.e. amputation with or without chemotherapy; • what many call palliative care, meaning pain medication and rest; or • euthanasia. But what if amputation is not an option? What if chemotherapy or radiation is out of the owner's financial capabilities? Or a couple of medications are not enough to numb the pain? What if visible metastasis to the lungs is already present? Bob Stein, DVM, pain management guru and founder of the Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia Support Group (www.vasg.org), recently shared another valid option.* "With my suggested approach, we can often provide quality of life to even large-breed dogs for six to 12 months and sometimes more than 20." Let's detail Dr. Stein's protocol. Pamidronate Pamidronate, a bisphosphonate, is an injectable drug that is inexpensive and easy to administer (ref: TM Fan et al. JVIM 2007). It helps to reduce pain (in 30 to 50 percent of patients), inhibit bone osteolysis, and has potential cancer-suppression effects by impeding proliferation and inducing apoptosis. The drug has a wide safety margin and can even be used on patients with renal or …
Purdue University research aims to customize cancer treatmentsApril 26, 2018Researchers at Purdue University exploring Doppler light scattering, a new method for testing how patients will respond to various drugs, say it could help customize chemotherapy treatments for patients diagnosed with cancer, paving the way for more effective, personalized treatments. Similar to meteorological Doppler weather radar, which sends electromagnetic waves into clouds to determine the overall motion of raindrops, Doppler light scattering creates a 3-D map of activity occurring within living tissue samples, allowing researchers to see how cancerous cells respond to different chemotherapy drugs and treatment methods. "We're looking at the motion inside living tissue rather than rain droplets, and we're using infrared light instead of radar," said David Nolte, Ph.D, professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue. "It's like watching the weather inside living tissue as the tissue is affected by cancer drugs." Working in collaboration with John Turek, Ph.D, professor of basic medical sciences at Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine, and Mike Childress, DVM, associate professor of veterinary medicine, Nolte's team performed the study on 19 dogs previously diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, which is molecularly and clinically similar to lymphoma in humans. To test the Doppler light scattering method, biopsied tissue samples were placed in a multi-wall …
The latest in treating canine lymphomaJune 26, 2017Everybody reading this article has likely had their life touched by cancer, either personally or through a friend, family member or beloved pet. Cancer is something we all want eradicated.
