The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN ONCO105-0422: Introduction to Chemotherapy in Veterinary Medicine

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Presenter: Christine Mullin, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Course Open: April 25-May 26, 2022
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Mondays, May 2, 9, and 16, 2022; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 6
RACE Category: 6 hours Medical

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Course Information:
This course will provide an overview of chemotherapy in veterinary medicine. Specific topics covered will include the origin of chemotherapy use in both human and veterinary medicine, chemotherapy safety, chemotherapy side effects, and cancer patient management. Specific chemotherapy classes and representative chemotherapy agents will be reviewed individually. Cancer-specific chemotherapy protocols will be summarized along with the associated outcome data from our veterinary literature.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • Summarize the history of chemotherapy in human medicine.
  • Summarize the history of chemotherapy in veterinary medicine.
  • State the basics of chemotherapy safety, including:
    • Veterinary staff safety/precautions when handling chemotherapy agents and equipment
    • Veterinary staff safety/precautions when handling patients receiving chemotherapy
    • Pet owner safety/precautions when caring for patients on chemotherapy
  • Give examples of the most common chemotherapy side effects and why they occur
  • Recognize chemotherapy-related emergencies and know how to manage them
  • Explain the mechanism of action, routes of administration, side effects, and applications of individual agents within the following chemotherapy classes:
    • Alkylating agents
    • Platinum agents
    • Antitubulin agents
    • Antimetabolites
    • Anthracyclines
    • Miscellaneous agents
    • Metronomic (low dose) chemotherapy
    • Molecularly targeted agents
  • List specific chemotherapy protocols and the corresponding efficacy/outcome data from the veterinary literature for the following cancers:
    • Canine lymphoma
    • Feline lymphoma
    • Canine hemangiosarcoma
    • Canine osteosarcoma

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians actively interested in veterinary chemotherapy. There is no specific prerequisite experience or knowledge required for this course.
Accreditation: This course is approved for 6 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians. (RACE 20-749241)

Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session May 2, 2020): Chemotherapy Basics

Week 2 (Real Time Session May 9, 2020): Review of Specific Chemotherapy Agents

Week 3 (Real Time Session May 16, 2020): Tumor Specific Chemotherapy

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: Member $138 ($124 early bird special if enrolled by April 11, 2022)
Non-Member $231 ($208 early bird special if enrolled by April 11, 2022)
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on May 2, 2022 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357