Meet Dr Pachi Clemente-Vicario – a Spanish veterinarian and member of the WSAVA’s new Oncology Working Group
Could you introduce yourself to WSAVA members?
I graduated in 1993 from the University of Extremadura in Spain and started working in a small animal hospital. Since then, I have always worked with small animals and have developed an interest in oncology. For ten years, I combined my work in private practice with a position as Assistant Professor at Cardinal Herrera University in Valencia.
In 2012 I moved with my family to Columbus, Ohio in the USA, where I worked as a Medical Oncology Resident at the Veterinary Medical in the Ohio State University, completing the residency, a Master’s program in Comparative Medicine and passing the ACVIM boards in 2015. I then returned to Spain where I work in an oncology clinic in a town called Calpe, in Alicante.
Dr Pachi Clemente-Vicario
Could you ribe your ‘day job’?
Every day we see new patients and review patients under treatment. When I meet new patients, I talk to their owners about the diagnostic tests we can do, discuss the results of these tests and explain treatment options. The way we explain the disease at this first visit is crucial for the family as most owners immediately view a diagnosis of cancer as having a bad prognosis.
For dogs under treatment, we monitor their response to therapies, check for side-effects and administer chemotherapy. As a Specialist, an important part of my job is communicating, both with owners and referring veterinarians, about the progress of the cases we are treating.
When I’m not in clinics, I work on lectures, book chapters or manuscripts. I also collaborate with the Spanish Association of Small Animal Practitioners as Scientific Director, with direct responsibility on CE programs, national congress program and speaker selection among other tasks.
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What first triggered your interest in oncology and why do you find this area of veterinary practice so interesting?
When I started in practice, there was no treatment for most cases other than surgery. It was attending the lectures of Guillermo Couto at a Spanish congress which made me want to learn more about oncology and to offer more options to cancer patients.
Cancer is very common in dogs and cat and every small animal practitioner sees oncology cases daily. Under the common name of cancer are multiple diseases and different stages and this is what makes oncology complex and challenging. But, in many cases we can help to control the disease and improve the quality of life of our patients as we do with other internal medicine problems that we see in practice.
Because of its similarity to human oncology, it also gives us the opportunity to collaborate in the field of comparative oncology and One Health.
You’re a member of the WSAVA’s new Oncology Working Group, how’s it going so far?
So far, so good. We are an enthusiastic group and started working from day one towards achieving our goals. We have discussed several ideas and plans to give WASAVA members good quality and useful information that can help not only veterinary professionals but also owners to better understand oncology patients.
What plans does the Group have to raise standards of veterinary oncology globally?
We want to give veterinarians the best information about the most common tumors, understanding that different clinicians may have different level of knowledge in oncology. As a first step, we have secured an agreement with the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), the WSAVA’s official scientific journal, to offer open access to a selection of oncology papers that we think are important for practice. I would like to thank JSAP on behalf of the Oncology Working Group.
At the same time, we are working on ‘Fast Facts in Oncology’, that will inform of key aspects of diagnosis and treatment for the most common tumors in a way that can be used as a clinical guide in the clinic and as a source of information for owners.
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If you could give WSAVA members one piece of advice about veterinary oncology, what would it be?
Don’t give up just because it is cancer. There are many options for oncology patients that can help them and their families and there is much more information available about treatment options. Through the work of the Oncology Working Group, WSAVA members will have soon more tools to help them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients.
What do you enjoy doing outside work to relax?
Very simple things: spending time with family and friends, visiting new places and trying new food.
Could you tell us something about you that may surprise us?
I like mountain running and have completed several mountain marathons and ultramarathons (65 km). While mountain running is becoming more popular, I guess it’s still an unusual hobby!