VCA Animal Hospitals launches CancerCare Centers

VCA Animal Hospitals recently announced the launch of its network of 35 VCA Pet CancerCare Centers to offer veterinary patients focused and individualized oncology treatment.

VCA Pet CancerCare Centers have multidisciplinary veterinary oncology teams available to create treatment plans for pets using the most advanced and effective therapies available, a release from the company states. These new approaches are targeted to be less invasive and leave pets more comfortable with fewer side effects.

The first goals of the VCA Pet CancerCare Centers are to enable greater access to treatment and to improve patients' quality of life.

In a video on the CancerCare Centers' website, Arathi Vinayak, DVM, DACVS-SA, ACVS fellow (surgical oncology), at West Coast Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital in Fountain Valley, California, says having medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical oncology all in one place helps the team determine the best path forward.

“Having all three of us receiving appointments at the same time under one roof in one space is probably the best thing,” Dr. Vinayak says. “The nurses and the doctors, we're all connected to that patient, so it makes treatment and the way we interact with each other fairly seamless. We're all here to be one team for that patient.”

The centers' second goal is to open lines of communication between veterinary oncologists, general practice veterinarians and pet owners, the release states. By increasing collaboration, pet owners will better understand the management and treatment that accompany a cancer diagnosis.

“In a world where there are thousands of treatment options, it can be overwhelming for pet owners to navigate through that,” says Brendan Boostrom, DVM, DACVIM, a medical oncologist at VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center in Fairfax, Virginia. “I see my job as being an advocate for that pet but also for that family as ‘what is the best fit?'”

There are currently CancerCare Centers in 13 states across the U.S., including California, Florida and New York, with plans to open more centers in Canada. See the full list of centers on the VCA website.