Comparative Oncology

According to the National Cancer Institute, comparative oncology is the “work of clinical veterinary oncologists in using naturally occurring cancers in animals to better understand and treat cancer in humans.”

Spontaneously occurring cancers in pets include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung carcinoma, head and neck carcinoma, mammary carcinoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and osteosarcoma. Studying the large population of dogs and cats in which these cancers occur — approximately six million each in dogs and cats in the US annually — is relevant for a number of reasons.

Animals share environmental risk factors with humans, “suggesting their value as sentinels of disease,” says the NCI Cancer Research Center website. In some cases, the cancers have identical tumor histology and response rates to conventional chemotherapy. The rapid progression of cancer in dogs and cats and early metastatic failure means that clinical trials can be completed quickly.

Through research and clinical trials, comparative oncologists can determine if there are environmental risk factors for cancer; examine genetic links to cancer predispositions in some dog breeds; develop novel cancer and gene imaging systems; evaluate new therapeutic approaches to cancer; and add to genomics data.

“Common to these investigations is the understanding that the study of spontaneous cancers in dogs will contribute to a better understanding of cancer in general,” states the website. “In the cancer research community, the awareness of naturally occurring cancer models is relatively limited. Broader awareness of these naturally occurring cancer models is needed, as are greater opportunities for collaboration and interaction between comparative oncologists and the cancer research community. A centralized resource for currently active comparative oncology programs and for investigators not currently involved in comparative oncology is now necessary.”