Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to directly kill tumor cells. Indications for the use of chemotherapy include:
- in patients with measurable tumor with known
sensitivity to chemotherapy, such as lymphoma,
multiple myeloma, and leukemias
- as palliation of patients with unresectable
and/or metastatic cancer
- as adjuvant treatment in patients with the
goal of eradicating occult micrometastatic disease
such as in hemangiosarcoma and osteosarcoma
- to sensitize tissues to the effects of radiation.
Chemotherapy may be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, intracavitary, or orally depending on the drug. Cancer is not a single diagnosis for which there is one treatment. Whether chemotherapy is recommended as a primary therapy or as an adjunct to other cancer therapies, as well as the type of chemotherapy administered, is dictated by the type of cancer a patient has. The goal of veterinary oncologists when treating patients with chemotherapy is to maintain remission of the cancer and prolong survival with a good quality of life. Chemotherapy in veterinary patients is generally well tolerated. Most patients experience minimal to no side effects with treatment and lead normal active lives.
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