Comprehensive Cancer Care

We primarily treat patients with chemotherapy and other systemic medications, as well as investigational treatments through clinical trials when applicable and available.

These treatments may also be in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

Our approach to dogs and cats with cancer includes a complete health assessment so that owners can make the best treatment decision for their pets.

The patient’s quality of life is paramount, and we strive to not just prolong their life through treatment but improve it, and alleviate suffering.

Penn Vet’s oncology service at Ryan Hospital is a member of the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC) led by the National Cancer Institute. We collaborate with our human medicine counterparts to investigate new treatments through clinical trials.

Participation in these trials provides your pet with access to novel therapies, and simultaneously gathers valuable information that can help improve treatment for others.

Surgery is often the preferable option for local control of cancer. Successful removal of a localized cancer can be one of the best approaches to treat cancer patients and provide them with improved quality of life.

There are several reasons to choose a surgical approach.

To gather tissue for diagnosis.

• Surgery is used to remove tissue for biopsy, which allows diagnostic pathologists to make the most accurate diagnosis and treatment protocol.

For curative intent.

• The surgeon attempts to remove cancerous tissue or tumors with wide margins, and no cancer left behind. This approach can include other treatment options such as radiation and chemotherapy.

Cytoreductive surgery, the planned incomplete excision of a tumor, which is used when complete excision may have unacceptable consequences.

• The goal is to “downstage” the disease to microscopic level, and therefore enhance the response to other therapies.

In the instance of palliative care, the purpose of the surgery is to improve the quality of the patient’s life — though it may not extend it.

The job of our immune system is to intercept any invading pathogens or abnormal cells within the body, including cancer cells. The immune system has evolved numerous mechanisms to recognize such threats, all the while limiting the risk of autoimmunity or attack on normal cells and tissues.

But many cancer cells aren’t recognized as dangerous, and bypass the body’s natural defense system, proliferate destructively, and eventually challenge the body’s ability to function. In many cancers, malignant progression is accompanied by profound immunosuppression that interferes with effective antitumor response and tumor elimination.

Physicians and researchers in both human and veterinary medicine have developed ways to reverse this immunosuppression, or otherwise make the immune system recognize and attack the previously undetected cells. These treatments — immunotherapy and immuno-oncology — offer new ways of treating certain cancers.

Immunotherapy treatments can: 

• Block the immunosuppressive properties of tumors and the associated tumor microenvironment allowing for the immune system to function properly and mount an anti-tumor response.
• Boost the body’s immune system in a general way, encouraging a more aggressive environment towards fighting cancer cells.
• Train the immune system to attack cancer cells specifically through the use of tumor vaccines or immune cell bioengineering.

Used to treat localized disease, especially when surgery or chemotherapy alone isn’t enough.

Post-Surgery Use: Often employed when tumor cells remain after surgery due to the nature of the tumor or the complexity of complete removal.

Treatment Modalities: Can be used alone or with surgery and/or chemotherapy to control or potentially cure cancer.

Symptom Relief: Even if a cure isn’t possible, radiation can significantly alleviate symptoms.

Pre-Surgery/Chemotherapy: Sometimes used to shrink tumors to a more manageable size before other treatments.

Radiation oncology plays a crucial role in managing and treating cancer, offering various approaches to improve patient outcomes.

Interventional radiology (IR) involves the use of fluoroscopy and specialized equipment to gain access to different structures in the body, and deliver materials for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.