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NEW ONCOLOGIST AT VETERINARY SCHOOL OFFERS INNOVATIVE CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS
22 June 2002 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
| Dr. Ruthanne Chun, a clinical veterinary oncologist who joined the staff this month of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, is dedicated to finding new and better ways to treat animals with cancer. |
Dr. Ruthanne Chun, a clinical veterinary oncologist who joined the staff this month of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, is dedicated to finding new and better ways to treat animals with cancer. Dr. Chun works with biological response modifiers, which help the body recognize and destroy cancer cells. She explains that this is similar to chemotherapy, but much more targeted. "I work exclusively with animals that have naturally-occurring tumors," she says. "Quality of life is always the foremost consideration," she adds. But in addition to routine treatments, the university environment offers her an opportunity to evaluate new methods that may yield better future results. And because the types of tumors that occur naturally in dogs and cats are similar to those that occur in humans, her work may benefit people, too. Owners of animals diagnosed with cancer are offered all the options by veterinary medicine staff, including no treatment at all. "I give the owner an idea of what can be expected from known therapies," Dr. Chun says. "I'll also inform them if a clinical trial is available, but will point out that we don't know how effective the treatment is." Often, funding is available for these trials, which makes them more attractive for owners. The knowledge that their pet may help evaluate a treatment that holds potential of helping many more animals in the future also appeals to many. "We have a huge opportunity to help future dogs and cats and people," says Dr. Chun, who specializes in cancers that affect the bladder, bone and blood vessels. "Pet and human cancers often have the same signs and same (symptoms)."
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About: University of Wisconsin-Madison
In achievement and prestige, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has long been recognized as one of America’s great universities. A public, land-grant institution, UW-Madison offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities. Many of its programs are hailed as world leaders in instruction, research and public service.The university traces its roots to a clause in the Wisconsin Constitution, which decreed that the state should have a prominent public university. In 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the university, and its first class, with 17 students, met in a Madison school building on February 5, 1849. From those humble beginnings, the university has grown into a large, diverse community, with about 40,000 students enrolled each year. These students represent every state in the nation, as well as countries from around the globe, making for a truly international population. UW-Madison is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Wisconsin System, a statewide network of 13 comprehensive universities, 13 freshman-sophomore transfer colleges and an extension service. One of two doctorate-granting universities in the system, UW-Madison’s specific mission is to provide "a learning environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help insure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all." The university achieves these ends through innovative programs of research, teaching and public service. Throughout its history, UW-Madison has sought to bring the power of learning into the daily lives of its students through innovations such as residential learning communities and service-learning opportunities. Students also participate freely in research, which has led to life-improving inventions from more fuel-efficient engines to cutting-edge genetic therapies. Students, faculty and staff are motivated by a tradition known as the "Wisconsin Idea," described by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904 as the compelling need to carry "the beneficent influence of the university ... to every home in the state." The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university’s work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students and the state’s industries and government. |
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