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Treatment Centers
UCLA and Veterinary Centers of America Open Cancer Care Center For Dogs and Cats
UCLA has become a new friend for man's best friends as the university's Department of Radiation Oncology and local veterinarians join forces to provide radiation therapy exclusively for dogs and cats with cancer.
"The Veterinary Radiation Oncology Facility at UCLA is unique in that it blends veterinary medicine with radiation oncology at a leading academic institution," said Dr. H. Rodney Withers, chair of UCLA's Department of Radiation Oncology.
Dr. Edward Gillette, an international expert on radiation oncology in veterinary medicine, will work with Drs. David Bruyette and Maura O'Brien of the VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital to care for pets at the facility. The facility, established at a location independent of UCLA Medical Center, will be used for outpatient radiation therapy procedures.
"Radiation therapy has become an integral part of cancer treatment for dogs and cats," Gillette said. "As in human cancers, some cancers in pets are treated most effectively by combinations of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy can be used to target and destroy cancer that has spread beyond its original location, and chemo-resistant cancers often are vulnerable to radiation treatments."
"Cancer is a leading cause of death in both cats and dogs," O'Brien said. "Pets are living longer as their owners take better care of them, but this means the pets are at increased risk for developing cancer at some point. Also, cancer is not limited to very old animals, and it can be devastating to have a young pet diagnosed with cancer."
"Most veterinarians use chemotherapy or surgery to treat pets with cancer, but very few veterinary clinics have access to or resources for the equipment, facilities and expertise necessary to offer radiation therapy as a treatment option for pets," Bruyette said.
At the facility, radiation therapy will be administered using a cobalt machine, a type of radiation unit utilized in traditional treatment of human cancers. Physicians used the cobalt machine to treat human cancers until UCLA's Department of Radiation Oncology replaced that machine with a larger model.
VCA owns and operates a nationwide network of 168 animal hospitals in 26 states and veterinary diagnostic laboratories that service more than 12,000 animal hospitals nationwide. VCA also has a nationwide network of more than 80 specialists, including neurologists, cardiologists and oncologists.
Pet owners interested in setting up appointments or consultations for their cats or dogs should call (310) 473-2951.
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