What is Comparative Oncology?

Comparative oncology is the study of naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease. Spontaneous cancers in dogs and cats are an underused group of naturally occurring malignancies that share many features with human cancers such as osteosarcoma, prostate and breast cancers, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck carcinoma, and virally induced lymphomas (see Disease Information).

Benefits for Researchers

Characterized validated models. The COP complements translational research efforts through the characterization and use of relevant and naturally occurring cancer models that develop in pet animals.

Clinical trials are being designed to include pet animals with naturally occurring cancers that give researchers relevant information on toxicity, response, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, dose, regimen, schedule, biomarkers, and responding histologies.

Benefits for Pets and Pet Owners

Clinical trials designed to save pets' lives. Pet animals participating in COP-sponsored clinical trials will be given the most novel therapies available for the treatment of cancer. The majority of these novel treatments are designed with an extensive understanding of the biology of cancer. As a result, pet owners can expect that their pets will tolerate these newer treatments better than most conventional forms of chemotherapy. Comparative oncology also helps animals with naturally occurring cancers by searching for alternatives when they do not respond to conventional treatments.

The COP will design and implement clinical trials in collaboration with academic veterinary institutions across the United States. Pet animals will receive treatment under the care of board-certified veterinary oncologists who share our goal of alleviating the suffering of companion animals with cancer (For more information, see What Is Comparative Oncology?)

Initial Program Goals

1. Develop an essential reagent kit for studying comparative models in translational and biology-based research.
• The availability of species-specific reagents has limited opportunities to maximally use comparative cancer models in cancer research.
• Advances in genetics, molecular biology, and protein chemistry have lowered the hurdles associated with developing and efficiently producing canine-specific reagents.
2. Develop a multicenter, collaborative network with extramural comparative oncology programs. Within this network, design, implement, and manage preclinical trials involving pet animals that will evaluate novel therapeutic strategies for cancer.
3. Increase the awareness of naturally occurring cancer models in the cancer research community.
• Like human cancers, these initially respond to several therapeutic approaches, but many of these approaches fail at the primary tumor site or at distant sites.
• Comparative studies show a pattern of predictable progression similar to that seen in human cancers but nearly impossible to achieve in conventional mouse models.

Models for Human Cancer

Factors that contribute to relevant models for human cancer from spontaneous animal cancers include the following:

• Humans and pet animals share aspects of tumor biology.
• Humans and pet animals share many environmental risk factors.
• Animal cancer prevalence is sufficient to initiate and complete clinical trials rapidly.
• Multimodality protocols are feasible due to the size of dogs and cats-this includes novel approaches to canine patient imaging.
• Lack of gold standard treatments allows early and humane evaluation of novel therapies.

Clinical Trials

• Clinical trials are designed to evaluate the newest options available for cancer treatment.
• Novel treatments are designed with a better understanding of cancer biology and to target cancer cells more specifically.
• New cancer treatments will be better tolerated than conventional treatments such as chemotherapy.
• In many cases, a large part of the cost will be covered through participation in the clinical trials. At this time, there are no open clinical trials through the Comparative Oncology Program.
• For information about clinical trials for pet animals in the United States, please visit www.vetcancersociety.org.

COP preclinical trials are underway in collaboration with University Veterinary teaching hospitals.

• Collaborating groups include extramural academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry.

For more information about the Comparative Oncology Program, contact: Christina Mazcko mazckoc@mail.nih.gov

• A focus of trials is the simultaneous assessment of agent activity and validation of biological and surrogate end points that can be directly translated to future human trials.
• COP will initially focus efforts on osteosarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and prostate cancer.
• Planned outcomes of these collaborative efforts include integration of comparative models of cancer into the process of cancer drug development and drug delivery systems.