Can We Treat Cancer Without Chemotherapy?

Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs, and in humans it is second only to heart disease. For decades, chemotherapy has been the only option and a necessary evil to treat cancer. Most of us know someone who has gone through chemo, and side effects can significantly impact quality of life during and after treatment. Chemotherapy targets cells at different stages of the cell cycle, and because cancer cells often form more quickly than normal cells, chemo can be effective in destroying cells and preventing them from growing, dividing, and making more cells. Unfortunately, “chemo drugs can’t tell the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells. This means normal cells are damaged along with the cancer cells, and this causes side effects. Each time chemo is given, it means trying to find a balance between killing the cancer cells (in order to cure or control the disease) [...]