Cancer frequently affects our veterinary patients and in recent years chemotherapy has become more commonly utilised treatment. General practices are increasingly prescribing and administering chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy drugs are toxic to cells (cytotoxic) interfering with the normal cell life cycle which results in cell death. Cancer cells are targeted by these drugs however they are not specific for cancer cells and healthy tissue can be affected. Chemotherapy drugs are also carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and abortifacient. It is important that these drugs are handled safely. Personnel handling of chemotherapeutic drugs have been found to have increased risks of infertility, early pregnancy loss or urinary excretion of these drugs. This webinar will discuss the safety precautions necessary for handling chemotherapy agents and will focus on the recent consensus guidelines produced by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in January 2018 to raise awareness of risks and how we can reduce the exposure within clinics. If time permits, common side effects (neutropaenia, thorombocytopaenia and gastrointestinal side effects) caused by chemotherapy will be explained as well as precautions for handling such patients.

Staging is one of the most important components of oncology case management. It involves determining the extent of local disease along with the presence or absence of regional or distant metastasis. The results of staging are used to give more accurate and informed treatment options along with prognostic information for each oncology patient. Some of the biggest challenges in staging is to consider how much staging is required for each case, which are the most appropriate tests, and if the results of these tests will impact treatment options and prognosis. I will discuss this information in a case-based and evidence-based approach, focusing on some of the more common cancers including canine mast cell tumours, lymphoma, oral tumours and apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas.

As veterinary patients age, they are more susceptible to diseases and cancer. This webinar will cover the basic cancer biology, treatment options and palliative care...