Evaluating a New Treatment for Oral Cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 75 percent of all feline oral cancers. Affected cats develop extensive bone and tissue damage, as well as ulcerations, causing pain and making eating and drinking extremely difficult. Researchers will evaluate a combination of ionizing radiation with an anticancer compound shown to have antitumor effects in vitro (under controlled laboratory conditions). Fewer than 10 percent of cats survive more than one year following diagnosis, highlighting the need for new treatments. The team hopes this new combination will improve pain management and extend survival times for cats with this highly invasive cancer.