Dog first to receive targeted radiation therapy at UW-Madison
by Katie Pfaff
Mac with his care team at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Photo credit: University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.Mac, a fox terrier mix, was the first animal to receive treatment for advanced cancer care at the University of Wisconsin- Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine. The team used the Radixact® System with Synchrony® and its AI-enabled tracking to treating Mac's lung cancer and target radiation to tumors while he breathed.
The TomoTherapy® platform was updated from one developed at UW-Madison and has been used in clinical trials of cancer in dogs with nasal tumors. The Radixact system with Synchrony lets practitioners delivers radiation to a focused location, enabling treatment in areas that continuously move like the lungs and digestive system.
"In dogs, when we identify a cancerous lesion within the lungs, we often surgically remove the affected lung lobe. Over the last 2 years, as Mac's cancer progressed, we were forced to remove around half of his lung capacity. When a new lesion was identified, we were put in a tough spot as surgery was not a safe option after removing that much of Mac's lung capacity. A precise, stereotactic body radiation therapy protocol was likely going to be the next best option," said Dr. Nathaniel Van Asselt, clinical assistant professor at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. "Because we knew Mac's tumor was going to move during respiration, we were able to successfully employ Radixact with Synchrony to track the tumor and minimize irradiating dose to normal surrounding lung tissue. We are excited to use this system in future patients whose tumors may move during radiotherapy treatments, such as lung, liver, adrenal, and prostate tumors."
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