Cancer Research

Imagine genetically engineered viruses specially concocted to wipe out cancer.  Imagine being able to give medication to a dog or cat that attacks the cancer and leaves the good cells.  Imagine looking deep within your dog’s or cat’s body and with a three-dimensional image to determine whether the tumor in the liver is benign or malignant.  Imagine shutting down cancer cells with a simple flip of a switch in the cells.  Imagine supercharging the animal’s immune system to recognize and fight off the cancer.  Far fetched, you?

Right now in various cancer studies, veterinary oncologists and researchers are working toward making cancer, if not a thing of the past, then at least a condition you and your veterinarian can knock back when it shows up again.

This is the kind of thing we all dram of – and yet this isn’t a fantasy.  Hundreds of researchers are working toward the day when pet owners hear the word “cancer” and shrug it off because it doesn’t mean their pets will die.

Cancer vaccines

One particularly promising method to attack cancer comes from genetic research.  Veterinarians are developing ways to kick the animal’s immune system into high gear with the use of cancer vaccines.

The technology makes use of lessons learned in genetic research and molecular technology.  Cancer is insidious because the body often doesn’t recognize the cancer cells as being foreign, so the body’s immune system doesn’t attack them.  The vaccine is made from DNA that appears in another host such as mice or even humans. 

Because the DNA is from a foreign host, the dog’s immune system attack the vaccine and then “recognizes” the cancer cells as being foreign and attacks the cancer cells.  Currently, studies are ongoing, but show significant progress and at this time show no apparent side effects.

Rational targeted therapy

Rational targeted therapy is a new form of chemotherapy.  Unlike the old form of chemotherapy that kills both good cells and bad, the rational targeted therapy is aimed specifically at killing the cancer and sparing the healthy cells.  Many of the latest advances use rational targeted therapy rather than the old-style chemotherapy.   They generally have fewer side effects and ti is hoped they will have better results.

• Veterinary researchers are working to cure cancer of at least make it treatable.
• Various cancer studies have proven to benefit both humans and animals
• Most studies gave given researcher vital peeks into how cancer behaves and what the best course of treatment will be.