What is cancer?
Cancer refers to a group of diseases in which abnormal cells (the structural and functional units of all living organisms)
grow without control, invade surrounding tissues and ultimately spread to other organs throughout the body. Caring for
pets diagnosed with cancer will require not only a well trained and dedicated veterinary team who understands both the
medical and emotional aspect of cancer but also a well informed pet owner who actively participates in the treatment
process.
There are over a hundred specific cancer types, each behaving in a unique way and requiring unique treatment
strategies. Besides treating the cancer itself, other very important aspects of cancer management include pain control
and nutrition. It is imperative that pets with cancer are provided with pain medication to relieve discomfort caused by the
disease as well as by the treatments, and are fed diets specifically designed to support a cancer patient. To learn more
about these topics, please visit the Cancer Pain Management and Cancer Nutrition sections.
How does cancer form?
In a normal body, new cells are constantly being made to replace old or damaged cells. This process is tightly regulated
and a delicate balance exists between cell multiplication (division) and cell death to maintain the right number of cells.
Sometimes this process goes wrong because of changes in the cell's genetic material (DNA), and the body begins to
produce more cells than it needs and/or cells don't die when they should. These extra cells usually undergo further
genetic changes and can then form a mass called a tumor.
Tumors can be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors typically remain localized to one
place and do not invade surrounding tissues or distant organs. They are not usually dangerous but can cause medical
problems once their size begins to compress on surrounding tissues. In contrast, malignant tumors contain cells that have
the ability to invade neighboring tissues and to spread to distant organs via blood circulation or the lymphatic system, a
process known as metastasis. To learn more about metastasis, please visit the How Does Cancer Spread section.
Is cancer contagious?
Cancer is NOT contagious. Feline leukemia virus, which causes certain types of cancer in cats, is the only exception.
While this virus can spread between cats, it cannot be passed on from a cat to a dog or to a human.
Can cancer be treated in pets?
Similarly to humans, cancer is the leading cause of death among older cats and dogs, and accounts for approximately
50% of deaths each year. However, cancer should not be automatically equated with a death sentence because it can be
successfully treated if diagnosed early. Even if your pet is diagnosed with cancer for which there is no effective treatment
or your pet did not respond well to a traditional treatment, enrolling your pet in a veterinary clinical trial may provide you
with an option to try new therapies. The treatment is often available at decreased or no cost to you and even if your pet
did not respond to the new investigational therapy, its participation will help scientists develop better and more successful
cancer treatments in the future. To find more information about veterinary oncology clinical trials and whether there are
any open trials for your pet's specific cancer, please visit the Pet Clinical Trials section.
Who treats cancer in pets?
The medical science that studies cancer in animals is called veterinary oncology and veterinarians that specialize in
cancer diagnosis and treatment are called veterinary oncologists. Veterinarians that perform surgery to treat cancer are
called veterinary surgical oncologists and those who administer radiation treatment are called veterinary radiation
oncologists. The available addresses and phone numbers of practicing veterinary oncologists worldwide can be found
here.
How common is cancer in pets?
Cancer occurrence rate is usually measured as the number of new cases of cancer in companion animals per year. The
rates are difficult to calculate because there are no registries in place and the following numbers represent only
approximate yearly cancer incidence in dogs and cats per 100,000 animals based on available data:
Source: Withrow Stephen J, and David M. Vail. Small Animal Clinical Oncology. St Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2007.
Cancer refers to a group of diseases in which abnormal cells (the structural and functional units of all living organisms)
grow without control, invade surrounding tissues and ultimately spread to other organs throughout the body. Caring for
pets diagnosed with cancer will require not only a well trained and dedicated veterinary team who understands both the
medical and emotional aspect of cancer but also a well informed pet owner who actively participates in the treatment
process.
There are over a hundred specific cancer types, each behaving in a unique way and requiring unique treatment
strategies. Besides treating the cancer itself, other very important aspects of cancer management include pain control
and nutrition. It is imperative that pets with cancer are provided with pain medication to relieve discomfort caused by the
disease as well as by the treatments, and are fed diets specifically designed to support a cancer patient. To learn more
about these topics, please visit the Cancer Pain Management and Cancer Nutrition sections.
How does cancer form?
In a normal body, new cells are constantly being made to replace old or damaged cells. This process is tightly regulated
and a delicate balance exists between cell multiplication (division) and cell death to maintain the right number of cells.
Sometimes this process goes wrong because of changes in the cell's genetic material (DNA), and the body begins to
produce more cells than it needs and/or cells don't die when they should. These extra cells usually undergo further
genetic changes and can then form a mass called a tumor.
Tumors can be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors typically remain localized to one
place and do not invade surrounding tissues or distant organs. They are not usually dangerous but can cause medical
problems once their size begins to compress on surrounding tissues. In contrast, malignant tumors contain cells that have
the ability to invade neighboring tissues and to spread to distant organs via blood circulation or the lymphatic system, a
process known as metastasis. To learn more about metastasis, please visit the How Does Cancer Spread section.
Is cancer contagious?
Cancer is NOT contagious. Feline leukemia virus, which causes certain types of cancer in cats, is the only exception.
While this virus can spread between cats, it cannot be passed on from a cat to a dog or to a human.
Can cancer be treated in pets?
Similarly to humans, cancer is the leading cause of death among older cats and dogs, and accounts for approximately
50% of deaths each year. However, cancer should not be automatically equated with a death sentence because it can be
successfully treated if diagnosed early. Even if your pet is diagnosed with cancer for which there is no effective treatment
or your pet did not respond well to a traditional treatment, enrolling your pet in a veterinary clinical trial may provide you
with an option to try new therapies. The treatment is often available at decreased or no cost to you and even if your pet
did not respond to the new investigational therapy, its participation will help scientists develop better and more successful
cancer treatments in the future. To find more information about veterinary oncology clinical trials and whether there are
any open trials for your pet's specific cancer, please visit the Pet Clinical Trials section.
Who treats cancer in pets?
The medical science that studies cancer in animals is called veterinary oncology and veterinarians that specialize in
cancer diagnosis and treatment are called veterinary oncologists. Veterinarians that perform surgery to treat cancer are
called veterinary surgical oncologists and those who administer radiation treatment are called veterinary radiation
oncologists. The available addresses and phone numbers of practicing veterinary oncologists worldwide can be found
here.
How common is cancer in pets?
Cancer occurrence rate is usually measured as the number of new cases of cancer in companion animals per year. The
rates are difficult to calculate because there are no registries in place and the following numbers represent only
approximate yearly cancer incidence in dogs and cats per 100,000 animals based on available data:
Source: Withrow Stephen J, and David M. Vail. Small Animal Clinical Oncology. St Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2007.
Tumor formation through loss of normal growth control
Source:
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/cancer/)
Source:
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/cancer/)
Metastasis of malignant tumor cells
Source:http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/lifecycle/images
/1-2-4-1-2-1-1-3-0-0-0.jpg
Source:http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/lifecycle/images
/1-2-4-1-2-1-1-3-0-0-0.jpg
|
© 2007 Pet Cancer Center. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Last updated 11/9/09
| PET CANCER CENTER Comprehensive guide to cancer diagnosis and treatment in cats and dogs |
What is cancer?
Introduction to cancer
