Radiation Therapy – Riding the Winds of Change

Only a year ago deep radiation therapy was not available in Australia for dedicated veterinary treatment. However, progress in the veterinary field over the past 12 months has seen tangible change in the treatment options for cancer in animals. Vets offering a complete cancer service are now recommending radiation therapy as an everyday treatment option for many types of cancer. Many such cases find their way to the Southern Animal Referral Cente, the site of Australia's only deep radiation therapy facility for animals.

Around 100 patients have been treated at the Southern Animal Referral Centre over the past 12 months alone. These patients have come from every state and territory of Australia except the Northern Territory. The numbers of enquiries about radiation therapy have been ever-increasing with the radiation department now employing three full time staff.

The majority of treatments undertaken are for curative attempt. Such treatments are typically sought after incomplete margins on attempted excisions, or in situations where incomplete excision is identified as impossible from the outset. Distal limb soft tissue sarcomas and mast cell tumours make up a large part of the case load.

However, deep radiation therapy has been undertaken for many internal tumours where excision, or even attempted surgery, is not possible. Increasing numbers of brain and spinal tumours are being seen, as well as a large array of tumours which have invaded surrounding structures and systems. All such primary tumours are candidates for radiation therapy.

The awareness of deep radiation therapy is growing rapidly. No longer is radiation therapy a novelty. Rather, a therapy which has been used as a core treatment modality in human medicine for decades is now being recognised as a key pillar in cancer treatment for companion animals.

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