Radiation Center for Pets Opens in Malvern

Veterinary CyberKnife, a privately owned advanced radiation treatment center for veterinary use,opened a new facility in Malvern last week.

The CyberKnife is a non-invasive way to deliver radiation to tumors,delivering an entire therapeutic dose of radiation in one to three treatments versus 17 to 20 treatments of traditional radiation therapy.

CyberKnife, also called stereotactic radiosurgery, utilizes a sophisticated robotic arm that revolves around the animal delivering precisely targeted radiation to the tumor while sparing healthy tissue and surrounding organs, according to a press release.

The precision of the CyberKnife allows tumors to be treated, such as lung and liver tumors, that haven’t historically been treated in the veterinary field, with radiation. The end result is more precise and far fewer treatments, significantly reduced number of anesthetic episodes, fewer visits to the veterinarian, and a better quality of life for the pet and owner.

“The CyberKnife offers the best clinical option for the majority of my patients undergoing palliative or definitive radiation treatment,” said Siobhan Haney, VMD, MS, DACVR (RO), MBA. Dr. Haney is a Veterinary Radiation Oncologist at HOPE Veterinary Specialists in Malvern.

“In the Mid-Atlantic region, animal owners have access to the best veterinary care in the world, but VC3 and the veterinarians we work with believe this technology will provide a quantum leap in the field of Veterinary Radiation Treatment. The CyberKnife technology has been very successful in human applications for many years—significantly minimizing the side effects and recovery time for cancer patients. Together with our Oncologists and Physicists the CyberKnife will dramatically and positively impact the lives of our companion animals stricken with cancerous tumors,” said Chris Popper, President & CEO, Veterinary CyberKnife Cancer Center.

VC3 owns and operates one of only two CyberKnifes in the world devoted for veterinary use and the only CyberKnife for veterinary use in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/09/24/6356020/veterinary-cyberknife-cancer-center.html#storylink=cpy