Oncology resources for the general practitioner

Few cancer cases and limited access to education on oncology therapy can make it challenging for the average veterinary general practitioner to stay up to date on cancer care and therapy. However, as Ann E. Hohenhaus, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology, SAIM), director of Pet Health Information at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York, NY, shared during a session at the 2025 NY Vet Show, a 2023 study found that pet owners of dogs with cancer prefer their primary care veterinarian to collaborate with their veterinary oncologist.^1,2 Such collaboration fosters client satisfaction and leads to positive perceptions of the veterinary service provided to the client’s pet.² As such, Hohenhaus’ session focused on several oncology resources and tools that veterinarians can use in their practice.

Resources from the WSAVA Oncology Committee

Oncology Glossary

Through the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the WSAVA Oncology Group (WOW), known now as the Oncology Committee (WOC), was founded in 2021 to help the global veterinary community access education and gain awareness of effective and accessible treatments for pets with cancer.¹ The group has since published several free online resources in multiple languages.

One of the resources developed by the Oncology Committee is an Oncology Glossary, which contains definitions for more than 30 oncology terms commonly used by veterinary oncologists. The glossary can be useful to both pet owners and veterinary professionals, as it can help general practitioners better communicate complex information about cancer with the client. The glossary is WOC’s most widely translated resource and is available in 16 languages, Hohenhaus, who currently chairs WOC, noted in a session handout sheet.

WOC Cancer Surgery Checklist

WOC’s Cancer Surgery Checklist is the group’s latest resource. Modeled on the World Health Organization’s surgical checklist, the WOC Cancer Surgery Checklist aims to reduce errors and adverse events while improving teamwork and communication in the operating room. The checklist guides veterinary teams through 4 time periods in the surgery process, including before anesthesia, before moving the patient to the operating room, before skin incision, and before the patient leaves the operating room. According to Hohenhaus, surgical checklists reflect a growing trend and can be modified for use in any surgical procedure.¹

Oncology Fact Sheets

These fact sheets, which come in 2 versions—one for pet owners and one for veterinary professionals—focus on a singular type of cancer each. The veterinary professional version contains a concise summary of the treatment options for that type of cancer, while the pet owner version provides information to help clients understand their pet’s cancer diagnosis. Both forms can be printed out, and the pet owner sheet can be used as a handout. Together, the series currently addresses 8 different types of common tumors, including melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas, and insulinoma. In addition to English, some of the sheets are also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Ukrainian.¹

@WOWCancerInsights

WOC also has an Instagram account, WOWCancerInsights, where members of WOC take pictures of tumors that they see in their clinic, post a biopsy or cytology, and quiz their followers on what type of tumor they think that case is. “You can keep up with [the account] and learn something from these [Instagram quizzes],” Hohenhaus told her audience.

Summarized journal articles

“One of the other things that the Oncology Committee did when it first formed was try to create a library of oncology articles aimed at the general practitioner,” Hohenhaus said.

In partnership with the Journal of Small Animal Practice, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, and the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, WOC compiled 3 online oncology issues. Each journal article selected to be included contains a short summary of the article explaining its significance to the general practitioner. It “is not an abstract, but a summary,” Hohenhaus emphasized.

“You can go to the webpage of the journal, search ‘Oncology Issue,’ and these virtual issues will come up. You can read our summaries and then decide if you really want to read the whole article,” she continued, adding that the page will contain a link to the article at the bottom, which can be downloaded.

Additionally, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery also contains articles that may be available in other languages if the article’s author is a native speaker of another language. “This is just a nice resource if you prefer to read in [another language], or you have a client that wants one of these articles in [another language],” Hohenhaus noted. The articles are available on the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery's website, which is open access.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s About Herbs app

Pet owners of pets with cancer may come to veterinarians with questions about the use of vitamins and herbal supplements. To help practitioners and clients navigate these products, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York developed a free mobile app, About Herbs, which contains comprehensive evidence-based information on herbal and dietary supplements. According to Hohenhaus, the app is designed for both veterinary professionals and the public.

“This resource is hugely comprehensive. [It’s] all in alphabetical order. It's very easy to search, and it's free,” said Hohenhaus. “So, when a client comes to you with 12 bottles of things they bought at the health food store, you can either assign them to look [this resource] up, or you can look it up yourself and say, ‘Yes, no, don't give that kind of thing because if the pet is actively [receiving] cancer therapy, we don't want [the supplement] to interfere with it.”

Additional sources

For clients with questions following a pet’s diagnosis, the Veterinary Cancer Society page has a series of answers to frequently asked questions. Meanwhile, veterinarians seeking guidance on surgical oncology can access the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology, which has information on canine and feline tumors, classified by tumor type and location.

The American College of Veterinary Surgery also has an online library covering a range of animal health topics, including cancer. In addition, the free digital textbook, The Cutting Edge: Basic Veterinary Surgery Techniques, now in its third edition, has an entire chapter dedicated to surgical oncology. Lastly, when it comes to radiation oncology, professionals can find a list of facilities with radiation therapy technology across the world on the Veterinary Cancer Society website.¹

References

1. Hohenhaus A. Oncology tools you can use in your practice. Presented at: New York Vet Show; November 6-7, 2025. New York, NY.
2. Morello SL, Maxwell EA, Ness K, Minsel T, Shiu KB. Client perceptions improve with collaborative care when managing dogs with cancer: a Collaborative Care Coalition study. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023;261(7):1037–1044.