Oncology

Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment (or management) of cancer. As veterinary medicine progresses over time, our pets are becoming more and more a part of our families and are leading longer lives. With increasing age comes the elevated risk of developing cancer. Unfortunately, one quarter of pets will lose their lives each year to cancerous conditions. Your family veterinarian is the first line of defense for an early diagnosis of cancer, which will give your pet the best possible chance for a positive outcome. If your veterinarian is concerned that your pet may have cancer, you may be referred to the Oncology department for further workup and treatment. The first step is diagnosis of the type of cancer, which will determine prognosis and treatment options. The next step is to determine if the cancer has spread (metastasized) beyond the local site; this is done via “staging”, which usually will include labwork and imaging (xrays, ultrasound, CT, MRI). From there, a treatment plan will be discussed and started.

Oncology Department hours: Monday through Thursday 8am-5pm

All services will take $100 deposit at the time of scheduling for all new Consultations. All services will require a $100 deposit for anyone who cancels or reschedules a recheck or procedure less than 2 business days before the appointment. Owners will forfeit the deposit if they fail to cancel or reschedule without 2 business days notice.

Request an Oncology Consult
While the underlying biology of cancer is very similar in pets and humans, the experience of treatment is very different. Dogs and cats do much better with chemotherapy and radiation than people do. General side effects (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, poor appetite) happen in less than 25% of patients and are usually mild and easily managed. Thankfully, fur grows differently than human hair so your pet will not lose their fur! Our goal at TVRH is twofold: to keep your loved one feeling amazing, while prolonging their life as much as possible.
Veterinary Oncology is divided into two sections: medical oncology and radiation oncology. Medical oncology deals with the use of drugs (chemotherapy) to fight cancer while radiation oncology uses high powered radiation/energy to kill cancer cells. There are many factors that will determine the best treatment option or combination for each individual patient.
The most important thing is for you to obtain all the information needed to make a decision regarding treatment. There is no one “correct” pathway for any disease process. Treatment protocols can range from aggressive pursuit of long term control to palliative/hospice care focusing purely on quality of life.

Services offered at TVRH:

  • Initial consult to discuss your pet’s type of cancer and all options available (including estimates for various treatments)
  • Diagnostics: cytology (looking at individual cells), biopsy (looking at solid tissue), bone marrow aspirate (to assess the marrow and cell lines), special stains and molecular diagnostics as indicated
  • Staging: digital xrays, ultrasound (abdominal, thoracic, soft tissue), CT scan
  • Workup and plan for radiation therapy and referral to NCSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for state of the art radiation treatments
  • In hospital treatment: traditional chemotherapy, metronomic chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic treatments, palliative/hospice care, herbal supplements and non-traditional supplements

Meet Our Board Certified Oncologist

Laurel Williams graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. She then completed a small animal rotating internship at Purdue University, an oncology residency at Tufts University, and a Research Fellowship in Molecular Biology at the University of Minnesota. She was a Professor of Oncology and on the faculty at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine from 1998 to 2013 and remained an Adjunct Professor of
Oncology through 2020. Dr. Williams worked as an Oncologist at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas for 5 years before moving to the Pacific Northwest and serving as Medical Director and Oncologist at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle. Looking to return to the Triangle, Dr. Williams happily joined Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospitals in spring 2021. She has authored/co-authored 30+ publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, written 25+ book chapters, and delivered more than 120 invited lectures at local, state, regional, national, and international meetings. She is very excited to be part of the talented team at TVRH.