The Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge today opened an extension of its Cancer Therapy Unit that provides treatment for pets with cancer.

His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent GCVO cut the ribbon following an address by Professor Sir Bruce Ponder FRS, Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Cancer Institute. This represents Phase 1 of an exciting initiative to develop a Comparative Oncology Programme within the University.

The extension houses a modern linear accelerator that will improve the lives of countless pets afflicted by cancer. Cambridge is currently one of only three centres in England that can offer radiotherapy to animal patients, and the only one in Europe that can treat horses and larger animals. The new linear accelerator is identical to those used in human cancer treatment centres. It replaces the original machine acquired second-hand from the NHS in 1991 when the Veterinary School opened the first Cancer Treatment Unit for animals in Europe.

The Veterinary School’s linear accelerator treats over 20 animals every week by directing radiation created by fast-moving particles at the cancerous tumours. Radiotherapy is implemented in cases where, due to the location or extent of the tumour, surgery alone would not be effective in removing the cancer.

As many as one in four dogs and one in eight cats are affected by cancer, and it is the leading cause of death in dogs in the UK. The Cancer Therapy Unit has helped over 6,000 animals since its inception, and the new accelerator boasts more powerful doses of radiation along with increased accuracy to provide more effective treatment.

“The new linear accelerator will enable us to continue to provide the very best treatment and clinical care for our patients,” says Dr Jane Dobson, Reader in Veterinary Oncology.

The Cancer Therapy Unit doesn’t just help animals, however. The Comparative Oncology Programme will be working in collaboration with the recently opened Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute studying cancer in pet animals; this knowledge will not only benefit pets but can be translated to help human patients too.

The Institute is a unique partnership between the University of Cambridge and Cancer Research UK. It is housed in the Li Ka Shing Centre, a state-of-the-art research facility located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus 

 

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