Most people never have to learn words like intensity modulated radiation therapy or squamous cell carcinoma—and that's probably for the best. But if you have to hear about squamous cell carcinoma, it might be good to hear about intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
Holly Bear Caley, a spunky 14-year-old shepherd mix, travelled to Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This relatively new type of treatment gives the radiation team the ability to sculpt the edges of a tumor, sparing the neighboring healthy tissue and greatly reducing side-effects.
A bloody nose and "reverse sneezing" were the reasons Holly Bear Caley's family brought her in to their veterinarian. Neither of these symptoms is necessarily anything to be worried about, but for Holly, a little diagnostic work at the veterinarian's office led to the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital and a diagnosis of stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity.
Holly was referred by the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital to MSU, which is one of the few veterinary hospitals that offers IMRT, which is able to precisely target a tumor without destroying the nearby healthy tissue.
IMRT uses technology that makes it possible to actually alter the shape of the beam that delivers the radiation to the tumor. This means it can treat tumors that are near vital organs and might have been considered untreatable in the past. For nasal tumors like Holly's, this is life-saving technology.
The Veterinary Medical Center's radiation oncology team saw Holly quickly and performed a CT scan that revealed Holly's tumor was beginning to affect the right eye and brain. Holly received 18 radiation treatments and then began treatment with a chemotherapy medication. A follow-up CT scan three months later showed that most of this aggressive cancer had been eradicated.
Holly is a great lesson to us that, even with the diagnosis of stage IV squamous cell carcinoma, appropriate advanced treatments can succeed despite a poor prognosis. She also reminds us that there are treatments that can improve a patient's quality of life with few side effects.
Today, a year later, Holly is living a normal life. Holly's family keeps in contact with Vanhaezebrouck, and they report that Holly is doing great and has resumed her regular walks with her best buddy, Daisy.