| Frequently Asked Questions |
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| About Cancer |
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| What is chemotherapy? |
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Very simply, chemotherapy means treating an illness
by chemical means. Chemotherapy drugs are compounds that are toxic to cancer
cells. Chemotherapeutic drugs may be given intravenously, intramuscularly,
subcutaneously, or orally. |
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| How does chemotherapy
work? |
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Cancer cells generally divide or grow very rapidly
and chemotherapy works by damaging the ability of these rapidly growing cells to
divide, eventually killing them. |
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| What are the benefits of
chemotherapy? |
| - Chemotherapy is the most
effective single agent treatment for some types of cancer, offering the best
opportunity for remission, while maintaining good to excellent quality of
life. An example of a type of cancer that is best treated by chemotherapy is
lymphoma.
- Chemotherapy can often be used in the post-operative setting. The
purpose of chemotherapy in this setting is to kill any remaining cancer cells
that have evaded the surgeon or to prevent the spread or metastasis of the
cancer after surgery.
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Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with radiation therapy. In some
instances chemotherapy can actually help the radiation kill cancer cells. In
other instances, the chemotherapy is used to kill metastatic cells while the
radiation is used to kill the local tumor.
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Chemotherapy can also be used to treat some cancers that are not amenable to
surgery or radiation therapy. In most cases, chemotherapy is used to improve
the quality of life rather than cure the pet.
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| Are there risks or side
effects involved with chemotherapy? |
| There are risks involved
with any type of treatment. Some normal cells will be injured or killed by the
chemotherapy. The most common side effects are mild vomiting, diarrhea, and
anorexia (loss of appetite). These side effects are due to the effects of
chemotherapy on the other rapidly dividing cell populations in the body; the
cells lining the intestines and the bone marrow. In most cases the side
effects are mild or self-limiting, and the benefits of the chemotherapy far
outweigh the side effects.
When the lining of the intestines is affected by
the chemotherapy, vomiting diarrhea or anorexia may occur. These signs are
usually mild and can be treated with supportive care at home. In some
instances more serious side effects can occur the will require your pet to be
hospitalized with intravenous fluids, nutritional support and antibiotics.
These severe reactions are however, uncommon.
If chemotherapy damages the bone
marrow, where the white blood cells that fight infection are made, the result
can be serious. In these rare cases, the pet is at risk for overwhelming
infection. Your pet will need to be hospitalized and placed on intravenous
antibiotics if this happens. White blood cell counts are monitored on all pets
receiving chemotherapy to try and prevent this side effect from occurring.
Hair loss, a common side effect in people receiving chemotherapy, is usually
very minor in the dog and cat.
There are certain breeds that are predisposed
to hair loss because of the manner in which their hair grows. These breeds
include: poodles, Old English Sheepdogs, schnauzers, pulis, Lhasa Apsos, Shih
Tzus and malteses. If hair loss does occur, it will usually occur in the
initial phases of chemotherapy and will eventually grow back once the
treatments are spread out.
Cats do not generally lose their hair, although
many will lose their whiskers. Some chemotherapy drugs are very irritating to
the tissues. It is very important that these drugs be administered directly
into a vein. If leakage does occur, ulceration, redness and swelling may
occur. Topical medication and warm or cold compresses will be administered.
This complication is very infrequent because all chemotherapy administration
is carefully monitored. |
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| How is chemotherapy
given? |
| A board certified oncologist
will direct the administration of all chemotherapy. Treatment is individually
tailored for each patient. Most chemotherapy will take the form of an
intravenous injection. Specially trained technicians administer the
chemotherapy, which is usually given as an outpatient treatment. |
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| How long will my pet
receive chemotherapy? |
| The length of treatment will
depend upon the type of cancer being treated. Lymphoma, the most common cancer
treated with chemotherapy, is often treated for 1 – 2 years. Most other
cancers have treatment duration of 15 – 18 weeks. |
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| Is chemotherapy
expensive? |
| Treatment for cancer can be
expensive. We use the same drugs used to treat cancer in people and many of
these drugs are expensive. In addition, your pet will be receiving care from
highly trained health care professionals and will benefit from specialists
with years of training and experience. The exact cost of chemotherapy will
vary depending upon the drug used, the size of the patient, and the number of
treatments. |
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| What happens after
treatment? |
| It is important that your
pet be checked periodically after chemotherapy has been completed. Checking
your pet at 1 – 3 month intervals will allow us to detect potential problems,
such as cancer recurrence. By finding these problems early, we have a greater
chance for successfully managing them. |
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| How long will the
treatment take? |
| Most treatments are quick,
requiring only an outpatient visit. If a longer therapy is necessary, your
oncologist will let you know. Arrangements can then be made for a longer
hospital stay. Patients will not need to stay overnight for treatment. |
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| Can I be with my pet
during the therapy? |
| In most cases the treatment
is quick, and you pet will only be without you for a small amount of time. It
is safer if you are not present, and most patients handle their treatments
very well. |
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| Will my pet be sick the
day of treatment? |
| If any reactions will occur,
they do not usually occur the day of treatment. Potential reactions such as
vomiting, diarrhea and anorexia may appear a couple of days later. Your pet
should be up for all its normal activities on the day of treatment. |
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| What happens if my pet
has an emergency? |
| If your pet is seriously ill
or needs immediate attention, you should come directly to one of our
facilities or your local veterinarian. If an oncologist is not present, your
pet will receive the appropriate medical care and the attending veterinarian
will contact an oncologist at the earliest possible time. If you have a
question regarding your pet’s health, you can call our facility to reach an
oncologist. |
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| Can my pet go to the
park, eat and drink normally after chemotherapy? |
| Your pet’s activities do not
need to be changed on the day of treatment. They should enjoy all the same
exercise and foods they normally receive. Patients receive treats after
therapy at the hospital. |
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| Should family members or
other pets be separated from my pet receiving chemotherapy? |
| Most chemotherapy drugs and
their metabolites clear the patients system within 24 hours. We suggest that
during the first day after treatment your pet should eliminate away from
flowerbeds or children’s play areas. If an accident occurs in the house,
simply use rubber gloves to clean it up and bag it before placing it in the
trash. |
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| Does my pet need to be
sedated for chemotherapy administration? |
| No. Patients do not need to
be sedated for their treatment. The treatments are relatively painless and do
not take very long. Some treatments are in an oral form and may be a better
option for your pet. You and your oncologist will discuss the best treatment
for your pet. |
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| Will my pet's cancer be
cured? |
| It is important that you
understand that most cancers are not cured but rather controlled. The focus in
veterinary oncology is on quality of life. Although most pets with cancer
eventually have a recurrence, the time that they are on chemotherapy is
usually of excellent quality. We can provide many months or sometimes years of
happy life to most veterinary patients. More than 90% of our clients report
that they have no regrets about placing their pets on chemotherapy and would
do so again if needed. |
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