For Immediate Use Jan. 5, 1998
Kambra McConnel ([email protected])
(310) 206-3769
Kim Irwin ([email protected])
(310) 206-2805
NOTE TO EDITORS: Media event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Veterinary
Radiation Oncology Facility at UCLA, with interview opportunities and
demonstrations of radiation therapy device.
UCLA AND VETERINARY CENTERS OF AMERICA OPEN CANCER CARE CENTER FOR DOGS AND CATS
Today, UCLA becomes a new friend for man's best friends as the university's
Department of Radiation Oncology and local veterinarians join forces to
provide radiation therapy exclusively for dogs and cats with cancer.
"The Veterinary Radiation Oncology Facility at UCLA is unique in Southern
California as a program that blends veterinary medicine with radiation
oncology at a leading academic institution such as UCLA," said Dr. H. Rodney
Withers, chair of UCLA's Department of Radiation Oncology and a professor at
the UCLA School of Medicine.
"We are thrilled to be working in partnership with talented veterinarians
from Veterinary Centers of America West Los Angeles Animal Hospital to
provide the highest level of medical care for cats and dogs with cancer,"
Withers said.
Dr. Edward Gillette, an international expert on radiation oncology in
veterinary medicine, will work with Drs. David Bruyette and Maura O'Brien of
the VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital to care for pets at the facility.
The facility, established at a location independent of UCLA Medical Center,
will be used for outpatient radiation therapy procedures.
Gillette is the former chair of the department of radiological health
sciences at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University.
Bruyette is a board-certified internal medicine specialist. O'Brien is a
board-certified veterinary surgeon who also completed a fellowship in
surgical oncology.
"Radiation therapy has become an integral part of cancer treatment for dogs
and cats," Gillette said. "As in human cancers, some cancers in pets are
treated most effectively by combinations of surgery, radiation therapy and
chemotherapy. Radiation therapy can be used to target and destroy cancer
that has spread beyond its original location, and chemo-resistant cancers
often are vulnerable to radiation treatments."
"Statistics demonstrate that cancer is a leading cause of death in both cats
and dogs," O'Brien said. "Pets are living longer as their owners take better
care of them, but this means the pets are at increased risk for developing
cancer at some point. Also, cancer is not limited to very old animals, and
it can be devastating to have a young pet diagnosed with cancer."
"Most veterinarians use chemotherapy or surgery to treat pets with cancer,
but very few veterinary clinics have access to or resources for the
equipment, facilities and expertise necessary to offer radiation therapy as
a treatment option for pets," Bruyette said.
At the facility, radiation therapy will be administered using a cobalt
machine, a type of radiation unit utilized in traditional treatment of human
cancers. Physicians used the cobalt machine to treat human cancers until
UCLA's Department of Radiation Oncology replaced that machine with a larger
model.
"We've received a lot of encouragement for this program from local pet
owners and our peers in veterinary medicine," Bruyette said. "In many
homes, animals are important family members. Sometimes people don't realize
how far they'll go to help the pets they love until those pets are
threatened by disease or injury."
O'Brien said the radiation oncology services provided by the facility could
help hundreds of dogs and cats each year, including those whose cancers have
failed to respond to other standard cancer treatments.
VCA owns and operates a nationwide network of 168 animal hospitals in 26
states and veterinary diagnostic laboratories that service more than 12,000
animal hospitals nationwide. VCA also has a nationwide network of more than
80 specialists, including neurologists, cardiologists and oncologists.
The Veterinary Radiation Oncology Facility at UCLA is located off Weyburn
Avenue between Veteran and Gayley Avenues. The facility is open Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. Pet owners interested in setting up appointments or
consultations for their cats or dogs should call (310) 473-2951.
-UCLA-
For more information, visit the Web sites for UCLA's Department of
Radiation Oncology at www.radonc.ucla.edu, and VCA West Los Angeles Animal
Hospital at www.vcai.com.
RSS