Cancer in dogs
Treatment options vary and depend on the type and stage of cancer. Common treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, amputation, and immunotherapy. A combination of therapies may be used. Knowledge and treatment of cancer have increased significantly in the past three decades. Survival rates have also increased due to the increase prevalence of canine cancer treatment centers and breakthroughs in targeted drug development. Canine cancer treatment has become an accepted clinical practice and access to treatment for owners has widely expanded recently. Cancer-targeting drugs most commonly function to inhibit excessive cell proliferation by attacking the replicating cells. However, there is still a prevalent pharmacy gap in veterinary oncology.
Treatment of cancer
Radiation therapy may be used to treat almost every type of solid tumor, including cancers of the brain, breast, cervix, larynx, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, skin, stomach, uterus, or soft tissue sarcomas. Radiation is also used to treat leukemia and lymphoma. Radiation dose to each site depends on a number of factors, including the radio sensitivity of each cancer type and whether there are tissues and organs nearby that may be damaged by radiation. Thus, as with every form of treatment, radiation therapy is not without its side effects.
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA (the molecules inside cells that carry genetic information and pass it from one generation to the next) (1).Radiation therapy can either damage DNA directly or create charged particles (free radicals) within the cells that can in turn damage the DNA. (2) Radiation therapy can lead to dry mouth from exposure of salivary glands to radiation. The salivary glands lubricate the mouth with moisture or spit. Post therapy, the salivary glands will resume functioning but rarely in the same fashion. Dry mouth caused by radiation can be a lifelong problem. The specifics of your brain cancer radiation therapy plan will be based on several factors, including the type and size of the brain tumor and the extent of disease. External beam radiation is commonly used for brain cancer. The area radiated typically includes the tumor and an area surrounding the tumor. For metastatic brain tumors, radiation is sometimes given to the entire brain.
Radiation therapy uses special equipment to send high doses of radiation to the cancer cells. Most cells in the body grow and divide to form new cells. But cancer cells grow and divide faster than many of the normal cells around them. Radiation works by making small breaks in the DNA inside cell. Radiation might not be a choice of treatment if the tumour was diagnosed on the late stage or is located on vulnerable places. Moreover, radiation causes significant side effects if used in children aged 0–14. It was determined to be a beneficial treatment but it causes significant side effects that influence the lifestyle of the young patients. Radiotherapy is the use of high-energy rays, usually x-rays and similar rays (such as electrons) to treat disease. It works by destroying cancer cells in the area that's treated. Although normal cells can also be damaged by radiotherapy, they can usually repair themselves, but cancer cells can't. If the tumour was found on the late stage, it requires patients to have higher radiation exposure which might be harmful for the organs. Radiotherapy is determined to be an effective treatment in adults but it causes significant side effects that can influence patients` daily living. In children radiotherapy mostly causes long-term side effects such as hearing loss and blindness. Children who had received cranial radiotherapy are deemed at a high risk for academic failure and cognitive delay.
Study by Reddy A.T. determined the significant decrease in IQ with higher doses of radiation, specifically for children with brain tumours. Radiation therapy is not the best treatment for brain tumours, especially in young children as it causes significant damages. There are alternative treatments available for young patients such as surgical resection to decrease the occurrence of side effects.