Oreo is a 9-year-old Shetland sheepdog
Oreo’s owners sought medical care after noticing that he had developed a growth on his lower right lip. After a biopsy, veterinarians determined he had a plasmacytoma and traditional treatment options included surgery and/or radiation.
However, Ashish Ranjan, BVSc, PhD, and his team at the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences presented another option – a focused ultrasound clinical trial.
Oreo received two focused ultrasound treatments, each lasting less than five minutes. During the treatment, multiple ultrasound beams were focused on the tumor. Much like when you use a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a leaf, the ultrasound energy converges on the tumor and heats – and destroys – the tissue.
Over the next several days, veterinarians noticed significant tumor regression, and the mass was completely gone after three weeks. Interestingly, the focused ultrasound also activated Oreo’s immune system, and immune cells were noted in the tumor margins.
Today, Oreo remains cancer free.
Photo courtesy of Oreo’s family