Metronomic Chemotherapy (2020)
Overview
The definition of metronomic chemotherapy varies, but generally it refers to repetitive, low doses of chemotherapy drugs designed to minimize toxicity and target the endothelium or tumour stroma as opposed to targeting the tumour. It is based on the chronic administration of chemotherapeutic agents at relatively low, minimally toxic doses, and with no prolonged drug-free breaks. It was originally developed to overcome drug resistance by shifting the therapeutic target from tumour cells to the tumour vasculature. Studies suggest that metronomic chemotherapy may be a multi-targeted cancer therapy, rather than a simple anti-angiogenic therapy. In addition to inhibiting tumour angiogenesis, metronomic chemotherapy might also restore the anticancer immune response and induce tumour dormancy. Metronomic chemotherapy combined with conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or targeted therapy is an emerging anti-cancer strategy.
Presenters
Dr. Rodney Ayl BSc BVSc MRCVS
Rodney grew up in Zimbabwe and graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 1985. He practiced large animal medicine in Zimbabwe before coming to the USA in 1985. He did a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Centre in Manhattan, NY, before he moved on to The Ohio State University for his residency in medical oncology in 1989. He achieved Board Certification in medical oncology in 1994, and in radiation oncology in 2000. Rodney has developed oncology departments and provided consulting services, in various practices and laboratories, and has lectured throughout the United States and abroad, on various oncologic topics. He has authored and co-authored a number of articles and other publications and conducted research on the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance, mast cell tumour and oral melanoma. He had been in private referral, medical and radiation oncology practice in Southern California since 1993, until he returned to the UK in April 2019 to develop the Oncology Department at Paragon. He specialises in the application of multi-modality therapy protocols for the treatment of cancer in animals, with a patient and client-directed approach.