Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy can be used alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy to provide long term control or death of a tumor. It is used for tumors that have not spread to other sites in the body and offers a potential cure for some localized tumors. In other cases, radiation therapy can be used for its palliative effect (relieving pain or other signs of disease). Even if the tumor cannot be destroyed, radiation may result in rapid pain relief and may shrink the tumor or slow down tumor growth. This often will improve the quality of life of the animal.
One way we can do this is through palliative radiation therapy (PRT). The goal of this type of radiation treatment is not to completely eliminate a tumor (although that sometimes does happen), but to reduce the adverse effect it is having on a dog’s body.