Rhinoceros Fights Cancer at LA Zoo
Randa the Rhino treated for skin cancer under her horn
LA Zoo
Randa is prepped for the procedure.
The Los Angeles Zoo, which normally fills our site with zoo babies and their cuteness, is changing it up and bringing us a story a little more on the serious side.
Randa, a 40-year-old Indian rhinoceros, was recently diagnosed with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, under her horn.
She is now recovering after undergoing Electronic Brachytherapy, a cancer treatment designed to deliver x-ray-based therapy directly to cancer sites with minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
Her handlers say the procedure was successful and they're happy with her recovery so far.
"After the treatment sessions were completed, she quickly returned to her normal attitude -- acting years younger and entertaining zoo visitors," said Leah Greer, Randa's primary veterinarian.
To deliver Randa's treatment, zoo veterinary staff worked closely with oncology surgeons and radiation oncologists from UCLA Medical Center, as well as scientists from Xoft, Inc., makers of the Electronic Brachytherapy technology.
Randa's doctors said the technology made all the difference in her treatment.
"I don't know that we would have been able to reach such a positive prognosis without it," Greer said.
