Fitzpatrick says that the initial results from a study at the University of California Davis has shown a reduction of up to 40% in the volume of prostatic tumours following embolisation, along with significant improvements in the patient's quality of life (the ability to pass urine and faeces in particular)1. However, prostatic embolisation in veterinary patients has only been performed in a small numbers of centres globally and not previously in Europe.
Gerard McLauchlan (European and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine, Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue) first carried out the procedure in December 2018 and has since performed it on two more patients.
Fitzpatrick is now offering prostatic embolisation alongside targeted intra-arterial (IA) chemotherapy, a treatment which it has now given to over forty patients with urinary tract tumours in the past 24 months, leading to a reduction in tumour size of up to 30% and an improvement in clinical signs.
Gerard said: "We have been developing and refining new techniques for treating various cancers over the past two years at our oncology and soft tissue centre. Really excellent results have been seen so far in cases with prostate cancer treated with intra-arterial chemotherapy and embolisation is the next logical step for managing this condition.
"Prostatic embolisation has only been performed at two centres in the United States and has shown very promising results in terms of patients quality of life and overall survival.
"With a recent study documenting the mean survival of patient with prostate cancer receiving standard intravenous chemotherapy as being only 101 days these new techniques offer an amazing opportunity to truly change how we view and manage this condition."
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