+ Bella the beautiful Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Meet Bella, who in January 2023 presented to her local vet after she suddenly developed seizures and experienced some changes in her normal behaviour.
She was subsequently transferred to her closest specialist hospital, where she underwent a CT scan. Imaging showed a large mass in her brain, however a follow up MRI was required to further visualise the tumour. She was diagnosed with a presumed glial tumour (glioma) of the brain.
Given her recent diagnosis, Bella was referred to BVSC for radiation therapy. In March 2023, she completed a course of 3 consecutive daily (Stereotactic Radiation Therapy SRT) radiation treatments. She had no side effects from treatment, and began to improve over the following few weeks. Her demeanour improved, and her behaviours returned to normal. She also had no ongoing seizures.
She returned after 8 months for a repeat MRI to check on her progress. Images (pictured here) showed that the tumour had virtually disappeared. She continues to do very well nearly 2 years after treatment.
This case demonstrates that brain tumours are not an end-of-life diagnosis, and are in fact very treatable. Occasionally we will surgical remove these if possible, however most are located in areas of the brain that cannot be safely accessed. As such, radiation therapy is an excellent and is often associated with a good prognosis. It is also very well tolerated, even by elderly patients with multiple comorbidities.
MRI images taken of the brain tumour before radiation therapy in August 2023 and after treatment in November 2023.
