Page 6 - Paws and Hooves - Autumn 2022

New hyperthermic treatment

for cancer in horses

ioneering technology empowers vets at RVC Equine to treat critically ill horses in
P revolutionary ways. Thanks to funding from the ACT, this specialist team can now treat

skin cancer using a new Thermofield device. When combined with chemotherapy injected
directly into the tumour, the heat generated by this device can help shrink tumours.

Skin cancer is very common in The team’s
older grey horses. It’s estimated first patient
that more than 80% of grey was a lovely
horses, over the age of 15, will 16hh Irish
have at least one melanoma draught
during their lifetime. Dr Michael called Sylvia.
Hewetson, a Senior Lecturer in Poor Sylvia
Equine Medicine at the RVC, was riddled
explains, with tumours
and the
“Melanocytes are normal team quickly
cells which affect skin realised
pigmentation. A gene they had a
mutation in these type of challenge on
their hands.
cells, gives grey horses With large
their characteristic coat tumours all
colour, but it comes at around her tail
and bottom,
a terrible price because she was
they are prone to become struggling to defecate or urinate The team carefully assessed
cancerous.” and was very uncomfortable. her case, and after discussions
She also had tumours on both
with Sylvia’s owner Christine,
Equine melanoma is difficult to sides of her head near her they decided on a two-stage
treat. Surgical removal salivary glands. treatment
is most effective but plan. The
sadly tumours can be How does it work? first stage
inoperable due to their involved
position or size. Human 1. A large volume of electromagnetic energy is transferred treating all
cancer treatment has deep into the tissue. the tumours
combined hyperthermia using the
with chemotherapy 2. This gently heats the targeted area to therapeutic Thermofield
for many years and temperatures that selectively kill cancerous cells without device. The
this has had positive harming the surrounding healthy tissue. aim was to
results, including 3. The heat makes chemotherapy more effective as it shrink the
reduced tumour size increases the amount that can be absorbed... tumours
and increased survival enough
times. Knowing this, 4. ...Plus it inhibits DNA repair in the cancerous cells. so they
RVC equine set out could be
to develop a new 5. Crucially this technique can be performed in standing surgically
treatment for equine horses without the need for a general anaesthetic. removed
melanoma using the later.
Thermofield device.

6 Paws & Hooves Autumn 2022