In addition, veterinarians from the internship program of the AMC also rotate through the oncology service as part of their training program. The DACC offers a full range of oncology treatment options. Chemotherapy is the most commonly used modality. No chemotherapy drugs have been specifically developed for use in animals, so veterinary oncologists employ the same drugs used by human oncologists. The most common cancer treated by the oncologists at the DACC is lymphoma.
Lymphoma is cancer of the lymph system.
The mainstay of treatment for this disease is chemotherapy, although radiation therapy is sometimes used. This protocol has been made available to all veterinarians through its publication in an internationally recognized veterinary medical textbook, thus improving treatment of pets with cancer world wide. Kettering Cancer Center and are currently involved in a collaborative project to test a new treatment for bone cancer in dogs. Bone cancer afflicts hundreds of dogs each year, often resulting in the amputation of a limb or the loss of life. The veterinarians involved in this project are optimistic that the results of this study will mean improved treatment and prognosis for both humans and dogs with bone cancer.