Guide to radiation therapy use in companion animals

In Pract. Apr 2022;44(3):124-140. 13 Refs

James Elliott¹

¹ Southfields Veterinary Specialists, Basildon, Essex SS15 6TP, UK.

Author Abstract

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) is an important component of a multimodality approach to treating cancer in companion animals. Many owners that receive a cancer diagnosis for their pet never get to consult with a veterinary oncologist, and so it is important that clinicians involved in cancer diagnosis or treatment (whether a general practitioner, internal medicine clinician, surgical specialist or neurologist) have a basic understanding of the equipment used, the basic mechanism of action, the indications, as well as the expected side effects of RT.

Aim of the article: This article provides an updated review of veterinary RT. This is particularly timely, given the current investment in RT facilities in the UK, which will revolutionise the incorporation of RT into veterinary medicine in the near future.

Article Tools:

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Toxicity of House Plants to Pet Animals.
This review article describes in detail the most common and popular indoor poisonous plants grown in Europe, the mechanisms of action of their active substances and clinical signs of the respective poisonings. This manuscript is supplemented with rich photographic documentation of these plants not found in similar articles, and also includes a description of the treatment of individual types of poisoning.

Evaluating Communication Training at AVMA COE-Accredited Institutions and the Need to Consider Diversity within Simulated Client Pools.
Participating institutions summarized their communication curricula: 18 (85.71%) used simulated clients (SCs). Over 55% of these did not track SC demographic data or social identities; among institutions that did track, SCs were primarily monolingual English-speaking (77%), non-disabled (94.2%), white (90.4%), non-Hispanic/Latinx (98.6%) women (57%) over age 56 (64%). Sixteen institutions agreed with the statement "I do not feel that our SC pool is adequately diverse."

Immunosuppressant Therapy in Small Animal Medicine: What, When, and Why
Immunosuppressant drugs are categorized into steroid medications (e.g., prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone, budesonide), calcineurin inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine), antiproliferative medications (e.g., azathioprine, mycophenolate, leflunomide), and mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors (not currently used routinely in veterinary medicine). This article focuses on the first 3 categories.

Diagnostic imaging of the equine cervical spine – Are radiographs enough? (Clinical Commentary)

Uroabdomen: Approach and Management
Animals with uroabdomen caused by small defects can potentially be medically managed with intravenous fluid therapy and urinary diversion (with a urinary catheter and/or abdominal drain). In a recent study, 25% of cats with uroabdomen were medically managed, and in another study, 14% of dogs were treated with medical management alone. Otherwise, uroabdomen is generally considered a surgical condition once the patient has been stabilized.