PET dogs with cancer in the US are now entitled to receive experimental drugs 鈥� before the drugs are available for humans. Twelve trials are under way on groups of 15 to 60 dogs, and in several of the animals cancers have disappeared.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had dramatic remissions in dogs with really aggressive cancers,鈥� says Chand Khanna, head of the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium newly formed in Bethesda, Maryland, by the US National Cancer Institute.
Unlike mice and rats, dogs experience cancer in a similar way to humans. As in people, cancers in dogs spread to form secondaries and can become resistant to drugs. The animals can also have relapses.
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The consortium consists of 19 veterinary schools, and there are plans to extend it to Europe. Owners can opt for conventional drugs or experimental ones, including some that are untested in humans and others that are already undergoing trials, but that need additional animal data 鈥� for example on dosing 鈥� before they can proceed to the next stage (PLoS Medicine, ).
As well as looking after their sick dog, owners can help gather data for the researchers. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e given notebooks so that they can complete assessments of quality of life, appetite, demeanour and perhaps even collect some specimens,鈥� Khanna says.