HOPE, CARE, and Optimal OUTCOMES are at the core of the ACCC culture. From the moment a new Animal Patient enters one of our seven locations throughout Florida, our team works closely together to assess that patient’s individual situation, along with the needs and wishes of their owners. Guided by the best medical expertise available, our highly trained veterinary oncologists, backed by ACCC’s strong 21-year history, develop individualized treatment plans that offer families clear choices. These options are based on the Animal Patient’s prognosis, the family’s available time and location, personal goals for their pet, and financial considerations.

Two years ago, when Dr. Laura Greene, DVM, DACVIM, Senior Professional Services Veterinarian for Merck Animal Health, spoke about immunotherapy as part of the ACCC Summer Webinar Series, she reported that eight checkpoint inhibitors had been approved by the FDA for cancer therapy in humans. Today, 14 different checkpoint inhibitor therapies are approved to treat over 20 different types of cancer in humans. Merck Animal Health has received a USDA conditional license for the checkpoint inhibitor drug, gilvetmab, for the treatment of mast cell tumors and melanoma in dogs.

Nearly 70 primary care veterinarians from across Florida and the country tuned in to listen to ACCC’s Jarred Lyons, DVM, Board-Certified in Radiation Oncology, discuss head and neck tumors in both dogs and cats. The presentation was part of the How to Navigate through the Cancer Diagnosis annual summer webinar series sponsored by Merck. A recording of his full talk is available here. Dr. Lyons explained at the outset that definitive research in veterinary oncology is limited; therefore, he stressed the importance of personal experience and evaluating each animal as a unique patient.