Bone Cancer Treatment News for Dogs and Cats

If you are contemplating chemotherapy for your dog or cat who has bone cancer, pay attention to this important news about carboplatin treatment protocols.

For years veterinary oncologists have debated about the ideal number of carboplatin treatment rounds to fight bone cancer. As recently as 2010 when we interviewed world-renowned veterinary oncologist Dr. Mona Rosenberg, it was believed that six was the ideal number of carboplatin treatments.

However, during last October’s 2012 Veterinary Cancer Society conference, researchers from Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center have concluded that when carboplatin is given to dogs for a total of four times, this treatment protocol has the same survival times as dogs who are given six rounds.

CSU researchers are now recommending four, not six, rounds of carboplatin when fighting bone cancer in animals. Their research findings are currently being published.

Other Exciting News: Chemo Made Simple

According to Dr. Jennifer Coates, expert veterinarian for Pet MD,

“A study published in the September 1, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that a single subcutaneous infusion of the chemotherapy drug carboplatin given after surgery resulted in similar survival times and adverse effects when compared to traditional chemotherapy protocols for osteosarcoma that involved giving drugs intravenously multiple times over the course of several weeks.

Veterinarians inserted a sterile urinary catheter under the skin, fixed it in place, and infused diluted carboplatin using a constant rate infusion pump over three, five, or seven days. On average, the dogs in the study survived for 365 days — that’s pretty good for osteosarcoma. The researchers found no difference between the dogs that received chemotherapy over three, five, or seven days. . . “

Imagine, a dog or cat could stay in the hospital for a few days after amputation, and receive all of the benefits of several chemotherapy sessions — without any of the stress of multiple clinic visits! This is especially great news for people who live in rural locations that are far from veterinary oncologists.

Read Dr. Coates’ entire article, “Chemotherapy Made Simple”

Ongoing work by dedicated veterinary oncologists gives us so much hope that a cure for this disease is within reach. If you are contemplating chemotherapy, be sure to mention these exciting studies to your veterinary oncologist.