Animal Health Trust Issues Plea For Help With Cancer Research

We are appealing to UK canine veterinary surgeries to help us improve the way dogs are treated for a number of cancers. We are mailing information posters to more than 3,000 surgeries asking for samples to be taken from certain breeds of dog diagnosed with certain types of cancer. Using the samples, our Oncology Research Group aims to develop prognostic tests for a number of canine cancers. These tests will assist veterinary professionals in predicting how individual tumours will behave and respond to treatment. It means that each dog will be offered the best treatment for its individual case, ensuring that dogs which do not require aggressive therapy are spared the rigours and possible side effects associated with such a treatment. The samples required are surplus small pieces of the biopsies of suspected tumours, which are collected by vets for diagnostic histopathology. Cheek swabs, or blood samples, that are surplus to those that are often collected by vets for standard clinical investigations are also required. Samples will be submitted for research only with the written consent of each dog owner. Mike Starkey, from the AHT’s Oncology Research Group, said: “To make progress we need to collect many samples of many different tumours. We simply need vets to send us freshly frozen (not fixed in formalin) biopsies of suspected tumours.” Samples are required from 13 breeds (if they are suffering a specific type of cancer -note 1): Boxer, Bullmastiff, Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Irish Wolfhound, Labrador, Poodle (toy, miniature and standard), Rottweiler, Schnauzer (miniature, standard and giant), Scottish Terrier and Weimaraner. If you would like further information about the project, please contact Mike Starkey on 01638 555603 or email [email protected] For more information on the work of the AHT’s Oncology Research Group, click here: http://www.aht.org.uk/science_oncology.html

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