Cancer in dogs and cats is a common occurrence but, it is still scary to hear those words from your vet. You can take heart however from the tremendous progress that has been made in treating canine cancers. Veterinary oncology today provides new combinations of drugs (chemotherapy), improvements in surgical techniques for removing tumors, and radiation therapy.

If surgery is the selected option, you will find that the veterinarian must collect as much information as possible regarding the cancer’s potential behavior. This data collection may include a biopsy of the tumor’s tissue or a diagnostic MRI of soft tissues around the tumor.

Some tumors grow very invasively while others spread to distant places and organs. An invasive tumor type is ideally removed with at least 3 centimeter margins in all directions, including depth. This can mean a large tissue area is removed and can result in an amputation, if the tumor is on a limb.

After the tumor type is diagnosed, these four surgery options are considered by your surgeon based on how much margin the surgeon can remove. The surgeon may select from the following procedures:

Intracapsular resection that removes some but not the entire visible tumor or Marginal resection where the tumor is taken out without margin leaving microscopic tumor behind. Both of these procedures will require additional treatment following surgery.

The most common type of surgery is wide resection where a margin of visibly normal tissue is resected together in order to minimize the risk for leaving behind tumor cells. Many cancer types can be successfully removed this way. This procedure may require some reconstruction around the surgical site so that the wound can be closed.

The most inclusive surgical resection procedure is a Radical resection. In Radical resection, the entire structure around the tumor is removed to prevent further spreading or invasion.

Radiation and chemotherapy are also used to treat canine cancers. These techniques may be used instead of or in addition to surgery. These therapies and targeted medicines are services usually provided by veterinary specialists who have had additional training in treating canine cancers.

Posted by Barbara.