Specialty - Oncology - Services
Oncology Services
Diagnosis, staging and treatment of cancer including chemotherapy, surgical oncology, endoscopy, CT, x-rays, bloodwork and more. Click on any of the topics below for more information:
Updates
June 5, 2007.
Alta Vista Animal Hospital (AVAH) is proud to announce the establishment of Ontario’s first cancer centre for animals. The AVAH Cancer Centre will be headed by Drs. Lina Bravo and Julius Liptak and our aim is to provide comprehensive specialist care for animals with cancer.
Drs. Bravo and Liptak will have one to two one hour consults reserved for cancer consults from Monday to Friday, although we will continue to see patients, including cancer cases, during other times of the day. The aim of these consults is for both Drs. Bravo and Liptak to meet with the client and discuss their pet’s diagnosis, staging and treatment options, and prognosis as a team.
There are a number of benefits to this team approach. This stimulated the formation of the AVAH Cancer Centre. Firstly, referring veterinarians do not need to decide whether cases should be referred to either Dr. Bravo or Dr. Liptak for assessment and treatment. By referring to the AVAH Cancer Center, all referred cases will be seen by both Drs. Bravo and Liptak. Secondly, the treatment of animals with cancer frequently requires a multimodal approach to minimize morbidity and maximize quality of life and survival time. Studies in human medicine have shown that multimodal approach by medical and surgical oncologists experienced in the treatment of cancers significantly improves survival times following cancer treatment. Drs. Bravo and Liptak, with their extensive experience in all aspects of oncology, are ideally suited to provide this treatment for animals with cancer. This is also supported by our imaging capabilities, such as on-site CT and ultrasonography, and 24-hour intensive care facilities. Lastly, through a dedicated advice phone line, monthly practitioner rounds, and upcoming changes to our website, we hope that the AVAH Cancer Center will provide continuing education opportunities for referring veterinarians to maximize the treatment and prognosis for pets with cancer.
There is no other animal hospital in Ontario and only one other in Canada with the experience to offer this service. Dr. Bravo is a board-certified specialist in medical oncology with over 10 years of clinical experience in the USA and has headed the development of the oncology service at AVAH for the past 5 years. Her interests have included hematologic oncology and the study of bone marrow cytokines, improved chemotherapy treatment for bladder tumors, and investigation of new antiangiogenic agents. Dr. Liptak is a board-certified specialist in small animal surgery with two years of subspecialty training in surgical oncology at Colorado State University. He is the founding president of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology and has written eight book chapters and over 30 journal papers on surgical oncology topics, particularly on the management of oral tumors, bone tumors (including limb-sparing surgery and chest wall resection), and liver tumors. Dr. Liptak’s other interests include brain tumors and intrathoracic (lung and cranial mediastinal) tumors.
