Advanced Image Guided Therapy for Cancer Treatment of Companion Animals

Student: Nitesh Gudapati, 2016-2017

One of the leading medical concerns among pet owners is cancer in pets, Cancer is the leading cause of death in cats and dogs. It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 4 dogs and 1 in 5 cats will develop cancer at some time in their life . It has also been reported that almost 50% of dogs over the age of 10 years will die of cancer-related problems However very few advancements have been made in this domain. The key problems in veterinary radiation oncology are that the equipment is too expensive to have in a general practice -- so that unless you’re near a university or large private specialty center, access to such therapy is tough; the cost of Radiation Therapy is unaffordable for most clients; and inconvenient treatment schedules limit accessibility since many clients cannot take time off work to bring their pet to a further-away hospital. Precision X-Ray hopes to develop customized image guided irradiators for pets. Due to customized equipment, the overall price of the equipment can be lowered thus enabling local veterinarians to afford it and in turn make it more easily accessible to pet owners. Also, since the equipment cost is lowered, the cost of the radiation therapy can be lowered thus making it more affordable to pet owners.