Introduction and Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abstract

Primary care veterinarians may diagnose, stage, and treat many canine and feline cancers while providing comprehensive patient health care in their practices. Collaboration between general practitioners and veterinary oncologists can optimize patient care and enhance client engagement, and referral is often necessary, especially in complex cases. These guidelines cover key fundamentals of, and new developments in, cancer diagnosis, staging, and treatment in dogs and cats, including patient supportive care and follow-up assessments. Therapy is based on identifying the tumor type, grade, and stage by using cytologic or histologic evaluation or both, combined with staging diagnostic testing such as imaging and lymph node sampling. Therapy is most often multimodal and may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, along with nutritional support and pain management. Methods to protect patient, team, and client safety as related to handling cytotoxic chemotherapeutics are emphasized. In addition, strengthening the training, education, and responsibilities of veterinary technicians is encouraged to promote team engagement and practice efficiency, which is highly beneficial when managing complex cancer cases. These guidelines also highlight how to achieve successful collaboration between all members of primary care and referral practice teams, cover tools that can aid in referral to or consultation with veterinary oncologists, and describe communication skills that enhance client understanding and compliance.

Introduction

Many clients anticipate that their primary care veterinarian is equipped to diagnose and treat their pet’s cancer. These guidelines help veterinarians adopt an up-to-date and structured approach to managing each patient. The guidelines offer an overview of common canine and feline cancers, diagnostic testing and tumor staging recommendations, therapeutic options, and patient and caregiver safety in handling chemotherapeutic agents. Optimizing technicians’ training and responsibilities, collaboration with and referral to oncologists, and communication strategies that are especially helpful when consulting with clients whose pets have cancer are also covered. All members of veterinary health care teams can work together to enhance clients’ confidence in their practices to care for pets with cancer.

Abbreviations and acronyms

ATLS, acute tumor lysis syndrome; AUS, abdominal ultrasound; CA, conditionally approved; CBC, complete blood count; CID, chemotherapy-induced diarrhea; CINV, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; CNS, central nervous system; CT, computed tomography; FNA, fine-needle aspiration; GI, gastrointestinal; HD, hazardous drug; HSA, hemangiosarcoma; MCT, mast cell tumor; MST, median/mean survival time; MTD, maximally tolerated dose chemotherapy; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; OVH, ovariohysterectomy; PD, progressive disease; PD-1, programmed cell death protein 1; PPE, personal protective equipment; PR, partial response; RT, radiation therapy; SHC, sterile hemorrhagic cystitis; SRT, stereotactic radiation therapy; TKI, tyrosine kinase inhibitor; USDA, United States Department of Agriculture; USP, United States Pharmacopeia; VCPR, veterinarian-client-patient relationship.

The 2026 AAHA Oncology Guidelines for Dogs and Cats are generously supported by CareCredit, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis.