April Hope VS News & Insights: Chemoembolization for non-resectable liver tumors, Multilobular Osteochondrosarcoma, Melanoma Update, & RT for Melanomas.

APRIL 2015

Case Report: Multilobular Osteochondrosarcoma in a Dog

"Scooby" was a 10 year old male castrated labrador retriever who presented to the Oncology service at Hope Veterinary Specialists for a large firm mass arising from the left side of his face. Initial aspirates of the mass obtained at the referring hospital were suggestive of osteosarcoma.

In order to stage the tumor as well as determine whether or not it would be amenable to surgical resection, a CT scan was performed of the entire head, using a bone algorithm and calculating retroactive reconstructions in detail and soft tissue windows. Intravenous contrast (Iohexol) was also given and the scan repeated using the same protocol.

Case Report: Chemoembolization for Non-resectable Liver Tumors

Currently there are no effective treatments for veterinary patients with non-resectable liver cancer. Due to poor responses or complications with systemic chemotherapy and radiation therapy, veterinary oncologists typically treat these patients with supportive care. Similar treatment difficulties for nonresectable human HCCs have led to investigation into regional, or liver-directed, therapies including intra-arterial chemotherapy delivery, trans-arterial embolization (TAE), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and ablation therapies (typically chemical or thermal). TACE involves a small catheter placed in the femoral artery.

Melanoma Update

Melanoma is a cancer of the pigmented cells, but not all melanomas contain pigment (termed amelanotic melanoma). Unlike the human counterpart, melanomas in veterinary patients are unlikely UV-radiation induced. In fact, patients with dark coats represent a large proportion of veterinary patients with melanoma. While an etiologic factor has not been found, trauma is suspected as a predisposing factor given that melanocytes divide when the skin is injured.

Radiation Therapy for Melanomas

Oral melanoma in dogs is typically a very aggressive tumor. The local tumor is usually very invasive and destructive. In addition, melanoma also has a high rate of metastasis to local lymph nodes and the lungs. Development of the Oncept ® DNA melanoma vaccine may help slow down progression of the disease and prolong survival for these dogs. However, the initial studies of these types of immunotherapy all show that these treatments only work well when the local tumor is controlled.

Upcoming Continuing Education at Hope VS

Pets on Pins and Needles: The Usefulness of Acupuncture in Alleviating Discomfort for the Cancer Patient

Wednesday May 27th 7-9:00pm at Hope Veterinary Specialists

Drs. Jeff Wilson, DVM DACVAA, & Kate Vickery, VMD, MS, DACVIM, CVA

This lecture will focus on the benefits of acupuncture in supporting the veterinary oncology patient. We will review the proposed mechanisms of acupuncture, discuss the pathophysiology of chemotherapy side effects, and discuss how acupuncture may be applied to the veterinary oncology patient to help mitigate side effects of treatment, tumor side effects, and support the patient's quality of life. Pertinent literature evaluating acupuncture for the human oncology patient will be reviewed and applied to the veterinary patient.

Shedding Light On Human Cancer By Studying Canine Cancer

If you have cancer - and your dog has cancer - it turns out you may be treated with the exact same drugs.

"It's the same disease, it really doesn't matter what the species is," Henry says. "It's the same disease if it occurs naturally. And so, answers in one species should translate to answers in other species in many cases."

Gene signatures predict doxorubicin response in K9 osteosarcoma

There are two chemotherapies commonly used to treat bone cancer in dogs: doxorubicin and carboplatin. Some dogs respond better to one drug than to the other. But until now, the choice has been left largely to chance. New work by University of Colorado Cancer Center members at Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015 demonstrates a gene expression model that predicts canine osteosarcoma response to doxorubicin, potentially allowing veterinary oncologists to better choose which drug to use with their patients.

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