New technology helps dogs with cancer
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Half of all dogs over the age of 10 will develop cancer in their lifetime.
Dogs get cancer at about the same rate as humans, and although the treatment sounds like that of their human counterparts -- surgery, chemo and radiation -- the cure rate is just about 20%.
9-year-old Lincoln didn’t miss a step after losing his front leg to cancer in 2021. But it was what doctors found during a routine follow-up exam that worried his parents.
“There’s 250 milliliters of fluid in his lungs,” said Monisha Seth.
A mass was blocking one of the major veins that drains his heart and it was located in a very difficult place to treat with radiation -- until recently.
The veterinary oncology team at the University of Florida began treating their furry cancer patients with the Varient Edge -- precise radiation technology that’s on par -- if not better than -- equipment used in top human hospitals.
“It’s going to increase our ability to treat tumors that are near important structures in the body that we’re trying not to harm,” said Dr. Christopher Adin.
The machine can adjust in real time to motion happening inside the body.
“It actually has the ability to know when the patient is breathing and to move with it,” Adin said.
Lincoln was treated on four consecutive Fridays with radiation administered precisely to the tumor without damaging any surrounding tissue. Lincoln’s tumor is shrinking and may possibly even disappear.
“A human would probably suffer, you know, struggle with it, but he’s just been so, you know, stoic and energetic,” Seth said.
Doctors hope this new technology will allow them to treat more animals that they never could have before.
More: Health stories
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