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When Randa, a 40-year-old Indian rhinoceros, was diagnosed with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma under her horn, Veterinarians teamed up with radiation oncologists at UCLA Medical Center to figure out how to treat such a large and potentially dangerous animal. Doctors at UCLA had already been treating human patients using Xoft's Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy - eBx - System and thought it could be a suitable fit for Randa, so they approached Xoft to find out if they could customize their platform for this unusual case.

"She had a fairly large lesion, four by six inches, so we had to solve a few mechanical and software issues on the way, but fortunately because it was an animal we didn't have to go through the FDA," said Randy Holt, Xoft's Director of Clinical Medical Physics.

The Xoft platform uses a miniature X-ray tube to deliver radiation directly to cancer sites without exposing peripheral sites. It can also be performed without the need for a lead-shielded room because it does not use a radioactive isotope.

"When you're talking about a 4,000-pound animal, you have to balance the safety of the animal and the safety of the zoo staff with the logistics of the treatment," said Leah Greer, D.V.M. and Randa's primary veterinarian at the L.A. Zoo. "In Randa's case, we clearly wanted to eradicate the cancer, but we had to consider where the treatment could be performed and how long it would take. The ability to roll the fully functional Electronic Brachytherapy cancer treatment system into Randa's habitat gave us the ability to provide quick, safe and accurate treatment. I don't know that we would have been able to reach such a positive prognosis without it, as there is no way we could have transported Randa to a traditional lead shielded room for radiation treatment."

After two treatment sessions, the affected tissue has pinked-up and the skin is growing back in from the edges, much like in humans.

Human Applications

Hunt hopes the number of approved uses for eBx in humans will keep growing as scientists develop new applicators for the device, which was originally used for accelerated partial breast radiation treatments. Its range has since expanded to include endometrial and rectal cancers, among others.

Because of its ability to provide targeted radiation without damaging nearby healthy tissue, Hunt believes the platform will someday be used to treat head and neck cancers, post-lumpectomy breast cancers, pancreatic cancers, and other abdominal cancers.

But while the platform is being used at some veterinary sites, Hunt doesn't foresee any other patients quite like Randa.

"It's unlikely that we're ever going to treat another rhinoceros, but I will say that everybody with Xoft was thrilled to be a part of this."