Canine Cancer Nanoshell Therapy: New Mast Cell Tumor Treatment for Dogs–Veterinary Highlights

What if a solid tumor could be removed without surgery?

When your dog is diagnosed with a mast cell tumor, surgery can often be curable. It is, however, not enough trying to simply take out what appears to be part of the lump. Sufficient surrounding tissue needs to be taken out to make sure that all cancer cells were removed. That can be easier said than done, depending on the location.

Surgery is always an invasive procedure.

With JD’s tumor, for example, the veterinarian had a hard time finding enough tissue to remove.

The surgery was successful but trying to get the wound heal was not an easy task. Because of the location, removing sufficient tissue created the need for a skin graft. I loved the idea but the graft did not hold in a place of high stress. It mostly served as a fancy bandage.

Canine Cancer Nanoshell Therapy: New Mast Cell Tumor Treatment for Dogs--Veterinary Highlights

How does canine cancer nanoshell therapy compare with cryotherapy?

I have read about cryotherapy approach. But the above treatment does the opposite–it involves selective thermal ablation. It is a combination of laser and nanoshell therapy. The idea is to destroy the cancerous tumor without damaging healthy tissue around it. The clinical trials started in 2017 and the results seem to be encouraging.

I think this is another idea that might either fade away or become a breakthrough. In any case, it is interesting and something to keep an eye on.

Related articles:
JD’s Mast Cell Tumor Diagnostics, Strategy, and Treatment

Source article:
Companion Animal Health targets mast cell tumors with nanomedicine

Categories: Alternative treatments • Cancer • Conditions • Mast cell tumors (MTC) • Nanoshell therapy

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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