Reprinted from The Horse Report with permission from the Center for Equine Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis.

Horses are living longer than ever, much like their human counterparts, but longevity also brings its own set of problems. Although cancer is not as common in horses compared with other species, the number of horses that do develop cancer has been increasing with the growing population of geriatric horses.

The Equine Oncology Program at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Alain Théon, DVM, MS, professor and chief of radiation oncology at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, is a unique group that has evolved from an interest in horses with a high risk for developing tumors. Many of these horses are aging recreational and companion horses or horses that have passed their prime athletic abilities.

The program offers all aspects of diagnosis and conventional treatments as well as experimental treatments for horses with malignancies. Théon has had a long-standing commitment to research in equine oncology and to the development of improved treatment options, particularly for equine melanomas