Dogs Help Human Cancer Research
Canines May Help Researchers Discover a Cure
In a new field of oncology research known as comparative oncology, scientists are treating dogs diagnosed with cancer to new treatments that may someday aid in human cures. These treatments, often the last chance at survival for some dogs, are helping people in the process.
Comparative Oncology Aids the Fight Against Cancer
Treating cancer in dogs isn’t new, but applying novel new treatments that may someday aid in the fight against human cancer is. According to an August 13, 2009 article “Scientists Turn to Pets in the Fight Against Cancer” in the pet health section of MSNBC.com, the studies give scientists the chance to try new approaches on naturally arising tumors that may eventually help pets and the people who love them.
Dogs are ideal for the program because, like humans, pets are often exposed to the same environmental conditions that lead to cancer development. By studying a naturally occurring disease, researchers can consider a complex set of factors that can’t be duplicated in the laboratory. Pet cancers are also subject to the same limitations as the human disease. They become resistant to treatments such as chemotherapy, often reoccur and metastasize or spread to other parts of the body.
Dogs also allow for rapid study of the disease. With their shortened lifespans, dogs can give researchers a window into treatment effectiveness without waiting years for results. According to Dr. Barbara Kitchell, director of the Center for Comparative Oncology at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, “If you had a treatment and you’re waiting to see the five- or 10-year survival follow-up in a person, that timeline is really compressed in the dog.”
Started in 2003 by the National Cancer Institute, the program has made great strides in the last 4 to 5 years, this in part to the sequencing of the canine genome in 2005. With this discovery, scientists were able to see the role of genetics in canine cancer development and apply it to human diseases.
Comparative Oncology and Oncology Drug Development
The similarities between dogs and cancer can aid researchers in drug development. Data gained through development of drugs for canine use has lead to research into human counterparts. For example, research conducted by Phil Bergman of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York into a canine vaccine against melanoma, or skin cancer, is now being adapted to human conditions.
While the data provided by canine research is beneficial, there are complications as well. Despite the similarities between dogs and humans in relation to the disease, the biochemical processes of each can be different, a problem that makes itself known when researchers seek approval for clinical trials. According to Kitchell, researchers often encounter side effects from a dog trial that “puts in jeopardy a lead compound that the company is testing for FDA approval, and now they have to explain why dogs have this toxicity, but people would never experience the same thing,”
Despite the difficulties that may arise in seeking trial approval, most pharmaceutical companies still value the opportunity to study treatments on canine cancers. Since a new oncology drug can take close to $1 billion to develop, canine studies, such as the one that lead to a canine vaccine against melanoma in 2007, can have a great benefit. Scientists can use the information gained in the canine study to aid in creating a human version of the drug.
This adds up to a complicated mix of emotion for dog owners. According to Dr. Melissa Paoloni, a veterinary oncologist and national Cancer Institute researcher, most pet owners enrolling in the canine trials are looking for a last resort to save a beloved companion, but they find comfort in helping people as well. “Knowing that studies used via the comparative approach will also be used to help human patients, I think that's been a very valuable teaching point and motivation for the client-owning pet community," she said.
Canine Cancer Research May Aid in Human Treatments
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