HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Highland Heights is a 30,000 square foot facility that opened in March of 2022. In addition to a 24/7 emergency room, the specialty hospital also offers internal medicine, surgery, neurology, ophthalmology as well as treatment for exotic animals.
But we are visiting on this day to talk about cancer.
"The field is really rapidly evolving. And we're excited here to be a site for clinical trials, looking at newer therapies for treatment of various diseases."
We're talking with Dr. Megan Brown, a staff oncologist. She says, just as with humans, the main avenues of cancer treatment for pets include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
But now, Metropolitan has become the first in Northeast Ohio to offer another form of treatment called electrochemotherapy, or ECT. Simply put, it boosts the delivery of chemotherapy drugs into cancer cells, using short but intense electrical pulses.
"What that is going to do is create holes in the cancer cells and allow the chemotherapy to rush in at a much higher concentration -- up to even a thousand-fold what we would get otherwise," Dr. Brown said, while showing us the equipment she uses.
During the procedure, your pet would be under anesthesia.
"It's a nice option for clients that can't necessarily do the standard of care, or if the tumor is not amenable to surgery. We still have options that are going to involved lower cost, fewer anesthesia episodes and we can do it right here," Dr. Brown said.
Electrochemotherapy can be an alternative to radiation, which often involves more visits and travel time -- which can add stress to your pet. The cost is also lower.
ECT is normally tolerated well, but may cause some temporary redness and swelling on the targeted area. For that reason, veterinarians may prescribe your pets some some pain relievers.
When it comes to deciding what's right for you and your pets, that's an individual choice -- one that Dr. Brown believes should center on quality of life, and not necessarily length of years.
"I'm a firm believer of treatment should never be worse than a disease. So we are really here to help maintain or improve quality of life -- and to never detract from it," Dr. Brown said.
Learn more about Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital HERE.
