VIN ONCO105-0420: Introduction to Chemotherapy in Veterinary Medicine

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Christine Mullin, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Course Open: April 27-May 28, 2020
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Mondays, May 4, 11, and 18, 2020; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in veterinary chemotherapy. There is no specific prerequisite experience or knowledge required for this course.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. This course is approved by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-39936)

Course Information:
This course will provide an overview of chemotherapy in veterinary medicine. Specific topics covered will include the origin of chemotherapy use in both human and veterinary medicine, chemotherapy safety, chemotherapy side effects, and cancer patient management. Specific chemotherapy classes and representative chemotherapy agents will be reviewed individually. Cancer-specific chemotherapy protocols will be summarized along with the associated outcome data from our veterinary literature.

Week 1 (Real Time Session May 4, 2020): Chemotherapy Basics
Presenter: Christine Mullin, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • Summarize the history of chemotherapy in human medicine.
  • Summarize the history of chemotherapy in veterinary medicine.
  • State the basics of chemotherapy safety, including:
    • Veterinary staff safety/precautions when handling chemotherapy agents and equipment
    • Veterinary staff safety/precautions when handling patients receiving chemotherapy
    • Pet owner safety/precautions when caring for patients on chemotherapy
  • Give examples of the most common chemotherapy side effects and why they occur
  • Recognize chemotherapy-related emergencies and know how to manage them

Week 2 (Real Time Session May 11, 2020): Review of Specific Chemotherapy Agents
Presenter: Christine Mullin, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • Explain the mechanism of action, routes of administration, side effects, and applications of individual agents within the following chemotherapy classes:
    • Alkylating agents
    • Platinum agents
    • Antitubulin agents
    • Antimetabolites
    • Anthracyclines
    • Miscellaneous agents
    • Metronomic (low dose) chemotherapy
    • Molecularly targeted agents

Week 3 (Real Time Session May 18, 2020): Tumor Specific Chemotherapy
Presenter: Christine Mullin, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • List specific chemotherapy protocols and the corresponding efficacy/outcome data from the veterinary literature for the following cancers:
    • Canine lymphoma
    • Feline lymphoma
    • Canine hemangiosarcoma
    • Canine osteosarcoma

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Presenter:
Christine Mullin is currently a staff medical oncologist at Hope Veterinary Specialists in Malvern, PA and is board certified in Medical Oncology through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She completed a three-year residency at The Oncology Service in the Washington DC metro area after a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ. Prior to that, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine and magna cum laude with a B.S. in Biology from The College of New Jersey.

Dr. Mullin has a strong interest in research and has served as a co-investigator for multiple clinical trials, has authored and co-authored journal articles and book chapters on topics in veterinary oncology, and previously conducted bench top research in osteosarcoma at the NIH National Cancer Institute during her residency. Dr. Mullin has lectured for RACE-approved continuing education events on topics including oncologic emergencies and chemotherapy safety.

Total CE Credit: 6

Tuition: Member $138 ($124 early bird special if enrolled by April 13, 2020)
Non-Member $231 ($208 early bird special if enrolled by April 13, 2020)
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on May 4, 2020 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

"This program (22-39936) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 6 CE Credits, with a maximum of 6 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical, using the delivery method of Interactive-Distance: (Web-based, Teleconference or Audio-Conference). This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements."

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357