Cryosurgery Information

Radiation Treatment Information

Note: This information was provided by a visitor to the website. Her email is below. Use a link listed in the box below to obtain more information. Here is the abstract from the study performed by Washington State University, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Pullman, WA 99164-6610

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	Links for this article * http://www.ingentaconnect.com/bsc/vru/2007/00000048/00000005/art00017 * http://openurl.ingenta.com/content?genre=article&issn=1058-8183&volume=48&issue=5&spage=482&epage=485 * http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8261.2007.00283.x Abstract: Nine cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma were treated with an accelerated radiation protocol (14 fractions of 3.5?Gy in 9 days). Radiation was administered twice daily with a 6?hour break between treatments. Median overall survival was 86�110 days. Median survival for cats with a partial response (n=6) was 60�7 days, while median survival for cats with a complete response (n=3) was 298�187 days (P=0.0639). The accelerated protocol was well tolerated and toxicity in the early and late period was manageable in all cats. Further modification of the protocol is warranted to extend survival.

		Email from visitor to the website is below. You may find more information on the message board on this website. I took Katie to the City of Angels/Los Angeles Animal Cancer group on Monday to see an oncologist, expecting to get some prednisone to ease her final days, only to find out that there is a brand new protocol for treating squamous in cats, developed at Washington State Vet school. It involves intensive radiation treatments, twice a day, for 14 days straight (with weekends off) and a small amount of chemo right at the beginning. So far, they have a median rate of 9 months remission (and the study hasn't been going on much longer than that), which with this cancer is practically a cure, since if it was going to come back, you'd see it by then (the tumor doubles every five days, which is why it's so hard to treat). There was an earlier study, with the results published in 2007, where the faculty at Washington State who worked on the study had decent results with nine days of radiation twice a day, and the authors suggested upping the amount and adding chemo. That's what this new study is, and it seems to be the magic bullet, although cats with squamous of the tongue seem to be harder to treat. I have enrolled Katie in the study. It's costing me $7,000. My guess is that the cost is far less at Washington State Vet School, and from what I can tell, there are others out there who would be willing to go to practically any length to save their cat, and would be willing to travel if that would do it. I'm lucky, because City of Angels is only 15 minutes from my house. Katie had her prep work yesterday, which showed that her tumor was huge--from under her eye to down into the top of her palate. Her first radiation treatment is this afternoon. I'll take a "before" photo in a couple of days, and with any luck will have an "after" photo in a few weeks. If all goes well, I can send you both of them, plus a narrative about her treatment in mid January. But you might want to post on your site that people with ill cats should call the vet school at Washington State. Dr Fidel seems to be the point person.

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