University of Glasgow’s Small Animal Hospital Unveils New Facility for Cancer Treatment

A new Varian Vital Beam linear accelerator is offering cutting-edge treatments to extend the life of animals affected by cancer.

The University of Glasgow, in conjunction with a legacy gift donated by Dr Iain and Ruth Jamieson, has recently invested £1.7million in a new radiotherapy machine (a Varian Vital Beam linear accelerator) for the referral oncology service and integrated neuro-oncology centre at the Small Animal Hospital based at the Garscube Estate.

Integration between the neurology and oncology referral services in the Small Animal Hospital means that brain and spinal cord tumours can benefit from a wide range of treatments including combined neurosurgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The oncology service at the Small Animal Hospital has been delivering radiotherapy as a treatment for dogs and cats with cancer since 2010. However, the new Varian equipment presents a major upgrade from the previous radiotherapy machine in delivering the most up-to-date techniques.

The machine enables precise positioning of the patient and dose to the tumour ensuring that the normal tissue around the tumour is spared. This is extremely important when treating brain and spinal cord tumours, or other tumours next to vital body structures to minimise side-effects to these tissues.

This state-of-the-art facility will provide a unique referral service across the West of Scotland for animal patients with a wide range of cancer types and plays a key role in training future generations of veterinary students in oncology who will see the benefits in patients treated with this new equipment.

This state-of-the-art equipment investment in the Small Animal Hospital builds on our strengths in One Health and translational research and is a key step forward to establishing our position as a world-leading centre in advanced therapeutics and diagnostics that enhances patient outcomes.