Cancer is a leading cause of death in cats and dogs.  One out of four pets will develop cancer in their lifetime.  Pets are increasingly receiving advance medical care like chemotherapy.  Insurance is becoming more common to cover and protect against expensive veterinarian treatment.  While there are many clinical trials that provide guidelines for treating cancer patients, there have been very few clinical trials involving chemotherapy in companion animals.

 

Pets are frequently considered valuable members of families with the expressed desire to prolong a pet’s quality of life.  The type of chemotherapy selected is typically determined by examining the histology or the microscopic image of cancer tissue after it has been killed with chemical fixatives.  However, this diagnostic approach poses significant limitations because it does not provide personalized, diagnostic information of which chemotherapy or combination of chemotherapy is best suited to kill a pet’s cancer.  Treating cancer with ineffective chemotherapy leads to unwanted cost and adverse side effects.