Radiation Oncology

What Types of Tumors can be Treated with Radiation?

Tumors that are commonly treated with radiation include:

• Mast cell tumors
• Soft tissue sarcomas
• Feline vaccine associated sarcomas/injection site sarcomas
• Nasal tumors
• Brain tumors/spinal cord tumors
• Anal sac adenocarcinoma
• Melanoma

Our Approach

Our staff supervises the treatment of every patient that receives radiation. We work closely with a team of trained and experienced technicians and assistants, as well as with The AMC's oncology service, surgical services and other specialists to ensure that your pet receives the best care possible.

Treatment Types

Linear Accelerator

Radiation treatments at The Animal Medical Center are performed using a state-of-the-art linear accelerator. This allows our doctors to deliver radiation in the most precise way possible to avoid normal structures.

Benefits of the linear accelerator include:

• Treats any tumor that responds to radiation
• Uses electron beams that guide treatment directly to the tumor, avoiding and causing little to no damage to other normal structures
• Customizes the area treated to fit the shape of your pet’s tumor
• Delivers treatment rapidly (usually in under 10 minutes)

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

In the Spring of 2009, The AMC became the first facility in New York City to begin treating patients with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

IMRT:

• Uses multiple small beams of radiation and complex treatment planning to deliver high doses of radiation that are contoured to your pets tumor
• Minimizes severe side effects

Strontium-90 Radiation Therapy (Plesiotherapy)

This treatment involves using a radioactive probe to deliver high doses of radiation to the surface of the patient.

Strontium-90:

• Gives off low energy radiation so as not to penetrate far into the patient
• Treats small, superficial tumors (e.g. tumors of the skin, lining of the mouth and eyelids, etc.)
• Limits time under anesthesia
• Delivers treatment rapidly

Palliative Radiation

If your pet’s tumor cannot be controlled by therapy, your pet may be treated with palliative radiation.

The goal of palliative radiation is to relieve pain or to shrink a mass that is making your pet uncomfortable. Because these treatments are designed to have as little impact on your pet's quality of life as possible, treatments are few and side effects minimal.