Why does my dog need to take Palladia for cancer for the rest of her life?

Question

Laila recently had surgery to remove a AGASACA tumor. Dirty margin so surgerybwas followed with two ECT treatments. Now the oncologist wants her to take PallDia for the rest of her life. When we ask why forever, why not 6 weeks or a year, he does not really have an answer. If Palladia kills the cells that are floating around in her lymph system, it seems to me that once they are killed there are no more cells there. So why continue to give her the drug? Pet's info: Dog | Havanese | Female | spayed | 9 years and 8 months old | 14 lbs

Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA · Accepted Answer

There is no defined time length for treatment with palladia, indeed the license refers to duration being 'dependent on response to treatment' and not a set period of weeks or months. Whilst in theory if all cancer cells were killed with one course of treatment you should be able to stop, there is evidence that some dogs are more prone to developing new cancerous cells at any time and extended treatment helps to prevent relapse/recurrence or development of new lesions. Your oncologist is best placed to prescribe depending on progress, side effects and likelihood of new tumour growth.

Why does my dog need to take Palladia for cancer for the rest of her life?

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