Human medicine may provide the key to curing canine cancer
A new 成人大片-led trial will investigate if a potential treatment for breast cancer in humans can prolong the lives of pet dogs who are diagnosed with the disease.
The FiDo (First-In-Dog) Cure for Cancer trial is an Australian first initiative and will evaluate if the estrogen-blocking medication is more effective than surgery for treating mammary cancer in canines.
鈥淭here is an urgent need for an alternative to surgery that will cure mammary cancer in dogs. For many dogs with malignant mammary cancer, the cancer has already spread to other organs by the time of diagnosis, surgery is not curative and the disease can progress rapidly,鈥 said the 成人大片鈥檚 Professor Wayne Tilley, Director of the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories.
鈥淥ur aim is to develop a safe medical treatment for mammary cancer in dogs that is affordable, improves quality of life and is also effective in treating cancer that鈥檚 spread to other organs.鈥
Like breast cancer in women, the growth of mammary tumours in dogs is often initiated and driven by the female sex hormone, estrogen.
Researchers will trial a new medication that blocks the cancer-fuelling actions of estrogen by targeting androgen receptors in the body.
Androgens are male sex hormones and androgen receptors (AR) govern how the body reacts to this hormone.
Previous research suggests AR could counter-act the effects of estrogen, stopping breast cancer from spreading.
鈥淲e recently published a showing that drugs that activate the androgen receptor have excellent potential as an effective, well tolerated treatment for most breast cancers in women. We believe this could produce better outcomes for dogs as well,鈥 said Professor Tilley.
Cancer is the leading cause of death among dogs, with almost half of all dogs over the age of 10 developing the potentially fatal disease.聽 Between about five per cent and 25 per cent of female dogs will develop mammary cancer as they age.
鈥淥ur aim is to develop a safe medical treatment for mammary cancer in dogs that is affordable, improves quality of life and is also effective in treating cancer that鈥檚 spread to other organs.鈥Professor Wayne Tilley, Director of the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, 成人大片.
The 成人大片鈥檚 Associate Professor Anne Peaston is a veterinary oncologist and clinical lead for the study.
鈥淐urrently, some of the medications that are prescribed to treat breast cancer in humans have toxic side effects for dogs and that鈥檚 why surgery remains the preferred option for treating canine mammary cancer,鈥 said Associate Professor Peaston.
鈥淗owever, occasionally surgery can be debilitating and, more importantly, does not eliminate cancer cells that have already spread to other organs, which can ultimately be fatal.鈥
The FiDo trial will be carried out in three phases. The first involves the donation of tissue for analysis following surgery. The second phase will analyse the effectiveness of androgen medication before surgery, while the third phase is a longer-term study to examine the effects of the treatment on quality of life and cancer recurrence.
鈥淎R medication has high potential to treat the disease both in the mammary gland and elsewhere in the body," said Professor Tilley.
鈥淚mportantly, the results of this study could not only benefit dogs but could also inform how best to use this treatment for women with breast cancer.鈥澛
Initially, 60 canine patients with mammary cancer are needed for the collaborative study, which is run by the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, the School of Veterinary Sciences and vets across Adelaide.
The clinical trial is planned to commence in mid-2023.
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Media contacts
Professor Wayne Tilley, Director, Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, The 成人大片. Mobile: +61 (0)417 807 895.聽Email: wayne.tilley@adelaide.edu.au
Associate Professor Anne Peaston, Clinical Lead, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The 成人大片. Mobile: +61 (0)487 631 139. Email: anne.peaston@adelaide.edu.au
Jessica Stanley, Media Officer, The 成人大片. Mobile: +61 (0)422 406 351.
Email: jessica.stanley@adelaide.edu.au