Oncology and Beyond
ByI have been getting some questions lately about whether or not I am a board-certified oncologist. Nope, and I do not try to be either. Here’s why:
Oncology is our word for the field of cancer medicine. Oncologists spend a good amount of time doing chemo, and have broader interests usually within the additional areas of radiation, a little nutrition, and surgery.
These are the areas that our current education system focuses on in this country. Unfortunately, our success rates with cancer in the dog, versus most other areas of medicine, are low in comparison.
For example, our educational system teaches how to deal with a broken bone pretty well. Most times the techniques we learn in school, or at conferences, yield a fixed bone. The dog ends up happy and pain-free. Say, 90-95% of the time, just a rough estimate.
Similarly, we do quite well managing infections. We treat diabetes pretty effectively. We remove urinary stones well and can suppress allergic reactions most times.
However, in cancer, we do very poorly in many cases. If you compare our success rates of fixing fractures with fixing cancer, you will see a tremendous difference. While I guess 90-95% of fractures can be fixed, the median survival time for most systemic cancers is not more than roughly 6 months, then we often lose our patients…with conventional veterinary care.
The branch of conventional veterinary care that deals with fixing bones is orthopedics. The branch of conventional veterinary care that deals with fixing cancer is oncology.
So if we compare 90-95% of all dogs with broken bones end up happy (an approximation of orthopedic success with broken bones) with only 6 months of life (then we lose the patient), the success rates are startlingly different.
Compare the successes of conventional cancer care (oncology) with conventional veterinary care in many other areas of animal illness, and you will find this amazing difference in success rates. Oncology success rates would likely be intolerable to most dog lovers in most other areas of veterinary medicine.
However, we have grown accustomed to these success rates, and they are now accepted as “normal” in cancer care.
I am not really enthused by the success rates of conventional oncology at this moment in time. I have a strong interest and dedication, though, in dog cancer. Looking for something “outside the box” does excite me!
NOTE: it is not my intention to disparage oncology or oncologists. Cancer management is much better than it used to be, and every oncologist out there is working, and succeeding, to help relieve the suffering of thousands of dogs. They are skilled clinicians and caring practitioners.
My interest is to look beyond chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. In this way, perhaps we can gain higher margins on our successes in caring for dogs afflicted with this horrid disease. That is why I titled the book “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation.”
Best,
Dr D
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
5 Comments
March 17th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I think we need more vets with your interests! There are so many different ways to attack cancer and the treat the dog as a whole being. There is so much bias against anything that is not chemo or radiation, even when there are studies that support it’s use. It’s nice to see a vet out there getting the word out.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I agree with you. I lost Hunter, my Vizsla a month ago today which ironically was five weeks after she started chemotherapy. It was so virulent that she required blood transfusions. During her overnight stay for the third one, she suffered a fatal heart attack. Had I all of that to do over, I would let her live out the rest of her life without those drugs.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I’m sorry Tom S <>
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:21 am
Tom,
I am so sorry for your loss is this painful time of departure.
Thinking of you
Dr D
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:33 pm
My dog has been through a lot the past month. I first notice a small growth on his right side. My Vet removed it and unfortunately, the biopsy result showed it was a MCT, Grade II. Then we went to the University of Georgia Veterinarian Teaching Hospital for a consultation with the oncologist, and had an ultrasound, and x-rays.
The results showed a mass on his spleen. So after agonizing for a week on what to do, I decided to have his spleen removed along with going back into the original incision site to go 2 to 3 cm deeper all around to get better margins. More of the MCT was found. In addition, the mass on his spleen was found to be hemangiosarcoma. Also, another mass was removed from his abdomen that was also found to be hemangiosarcoma.
The oncologist would like to meet again and is recomending Chemo.
I just do not know what to do at this point. At first, when I thought maybe I had caught the MCT in time, I was considering Chemo. But now I am not so sure. This second cancer is a cancer that travels through the blood vessels. Chapter 12 in Dr. D’s book is not very promising.
Waldo is a great dog-as are all dogs! He was a stray I took in about eight and a half years ago. He is mostly Black Lab-some people have said he is a pure breed, but no way to know and I do not care. The neighborhood named him (remember the children’s book-where’s Waldo, find Waldo in the picture), so that is how he got his name. The Vet’s best guess was he was maybe 6-9 months old at the time. So I know I should be thankful for the time we have had together and I am, but he just does not appear to be sick.
It broke my heart to see him on Saturday when I brought him home from the hospital. So weak and surely in pain with all those staples and having been through major surgery. He is recovery from the surgery very well and on Thursday, the 30th, I will travel the two hours again to UGA to remove the staples and listen to the oncologist.
I just do not see putting him through anymore. I guess will know when the time comes to put him down or do I put him down now before the suffering begins. He seems so happy-eating and drinking and he just wants to be outside and play ball. No ball playing allowed, but he has been outside with me quite a bit this week.
Any advice from anyone out there or Dr. D?
Thanks,
Waldo’s Mom