Cancer is the leading cause of death in adult dogs and cats,1.2 with respectively 50% of dogs and 30% of felines over 10 years old dying from this disease.3
Traditional treatments for pet cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Although these therapies are well tolerated, to further combat this epidemic and improve outcomes, innovations have primarily followed in the footsteps of human medicine, focusing on early detection, precision medicine, and a multimodal approach. Below you will find the latest diagnostic tools and treatments used in veterinary oncology:
Liquid biopsy
This non-invasive screening test can be used during routine health checks to detect whether pets have cancer even before clinical signs appear. This involves a simple blood test from the animal and this sample is then sent to a laboratory where the cell-free DNA is processed.4 It is analyzed for mutations that can indicate whether it is healthy or cancerous.
In a dvm360 interview, Andi Flory, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), co-founder and chief medical officer of PetDx, described how liquid biopsy tests work. “It looks for little pieces of DNA that are circulating in the blood and they come from cancer cells. And we can say that these come from cancer cells because these little pieces of DNA contain mutations. So they have these genomic alterations.
If it detects cancer, a liquid biopsy is not sufficient to determine the type and location of the cancer. Additional tests must take place (eg, imaging, x-rays, ultrasound) to reveal this information.4 Liquid biopsy tests help promote early detection, so that treatment can be implemented while the cancer is in its early stages to achieve the best results.
Two liquid biopsy tests currently available to detect canine cancer are Nu.Q from Volition Veterinary in partnership with Heska and OncoK9 from PetDx.5
Targeted therapy
When cancer is confirmed in a pet, targeted therapy constitutes an innovative treatment option. While chemotherapy targets all rapidly dividing cells, whether healthy or cancerous, targeted therapy targets certain molecular targets associated with cancer.6 Thus, targeted therapies are less toxic to healthy cells than chemotherapy. However, like chemotherapy, targeted therapy may be used in conjunction with additional treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy.
Two targeted therapies currently available on the veterinary market include toceranib phosphate (Palladia; Pfizer) and verdinexor (Laverdia-CA1; Dechra).6
Immunotherapy
The principle of immunotherapy is to strengthen the animal’s immune system so that it can fight the cancer itself more effectively. Although cancer cells can be identified as foreign invaders by the immune system, they may escape detection or multiply too quickly for the immune system to respond.4.7
Immunotherapy teaches an animal’s immune system to identify cancer and then attack it. This can be achieved using anything from autologous cancer vaccines created solely based on the animal’s specific tumor to checkpoint inhibitors that block proteins that prevent the immune system from fighting cells. cancerous.4.7
This treatment is most effective with a smaller “cancer burden,” that is, when used after chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery have first shrunk the cancer. 7
“A lot of data shows that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy for example, or immunotherapy with other types of immunotherapy, can actually provide better results,” said Michael D. Lucroy, DVM, MS, DACVIM (oncology). , chief medical officer of Torigen Inc, in a dvm360 interview.
“So the notion that chemotherapy is immunosuppressive is kind of the way we used to think about things. But as we learn more, we’re finding that chemotherapy can actually have positive effects on the immune system and combine well with things like cancer vaccines. and combining cancer vaccines with checkpoint inhibitors. Things like that, I think, will be very promising for us,” he added.
Takeaways
Latest advances in veterinary oncology include taking a proactive approach through early detection and providing personalized treatment through precision medicine. Conventional surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still widely used and effective and often work in conjunction with newer cancer therapies to achieve the most effective results.
“One of our guiding principles in caring for cancer patients is the idea of multimodal therapy. So any thing can help, but when you do more than one thing, you get better results. And maybe if you do all the things, you get an exceptional result,” Lucroy said in the interview.
The references
- Fleming JM, Creevy KE, Promislow DE. Mortality in North American dogs from 1984 to 2004: an investigation into causes of death related to age, size, and breed. Veterinary intern J Med. 2011;25(2):187-98. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.0695.x
- Kent MS, Karchemskiy S, Culp WTN et al. Longevity and mortality in cats: a single institution necropsy study of 3,108 cases (1989-2019). PLoS One. 2022;17(12):e0278199. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278199
- Beltrán Hernández I, Kromhout JZ, Teske E, Hennink WE, van Nimwegen SA, Oliveira S. Molecular targets for cancer therapies in pets and humans: what can we learn from each other? Theranostics. 2021;11(8):3882-3897. doi: 10.7150/thno.55760
- Gibeault S. New revolutionary innovations in canine cancer. American Kennel Club. Published July 20, 2022. Updated July 21, 2022. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/innovations-in-canine-cancer
- Manhombo T. Explaining the new liquid biopsy cancer screening in dogs. The National Canine Cancer Foundation. February 2, 2023. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://wearethecure.org/liquid-biopsy-for-dogs
- Precision medicine: could it transform the way we treat dogs with cancer? MedVet. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.medvet.com/precision-medicine-could-this-transform-the-way-we-treat-dogs-with-cancer
- Immunotherapy treatment. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/immunotherapy-treatment