TomoTherapy: Wisconsin Seeks to be First Veterinary Medical School with This Service

Wisconsin seeks to be the first veterinary medical school to offer this brand new technology. 

We know it works, because pet dogs with nasal tumors were the first clinical patients to benefit from TomoTherapy (a targeted and minimally invasive approach to cancer radiation therapy).  Based on excellent results from these initial trials in dogs, which were conducted in Madison, Wisconsin, tomotherapy is now being adopted in human hospitals nationwide.

TomoTherapy is a unique combination of radiation treatment and a helical CT scanner that offers superior tumor control with much less toxicity.

The School of Veterinary Medicine would like to bring this human technology back into a veterinary setting.  This would be the first TomoTherapy unit in use for veterinary medicine in the world.  Based on their experience during the initial trials, the school’s oncologists point out that people are willing to travel a great distance for more effective and less toxic treatment for their pets. 

Existing radiation therapy equipment outdated
In addition, the school’s existing cobalt 60 radiation therapy unit is outdated.  Funding agencies are increasingly reluctant to provide funding for clinical trials involving aged and unreliable equipment such as the cobalt 60 unit.  Without access to modern equipment, the school cannot continue to develop new and better treatment options for dogs with cancer. 

A typical TomoTherapy unit costs more than $3 million, but because the School of Veterinary Medicine helped with initial trials and because the parent company is located in Madison, TomoTherapy is offering the school a new unit, reengineered for animal use, for $1.9 million.  Another $2.7 million needed for site construction brings the projected cost for the TomoTherapy facility to $4.6 million.

With your help, we can make it happen
The school is hoping for a lead gift, possibly someone who would be willing to name the facility for $1 million.  Donors can rest assured that gifts targeted to the TomoTherapy unit will have a far-reaching, positive effect on animal health.  And, because dog cancers are similar to human cancers, new ways of applying the technology could benefit humans, too.