Canine Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Can Being a Dog’s Best Friend Help a Child?

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) remain a therapeutic challenge for pediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. Still today, surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy remain the mainstay of treatment. Obstacles in developing new treatment approaches to improve the outcome are: few patients to enroll in clinical trials, and the diversity of tumor biology between histologic subtypes. Pet dogs may offer an additional strategy to discover and test new therapeutic avenues. The number of dogs diagnosed with a STS each year in the United States is estimated to be around 27,000 to 95,000. In comparison, approximately 900 children less than 20 years old and 1,500 AYAs between 15 and 29 years old are diagnosed with a STS each year in the United States. The mainstay for treatment of STSs in dogs is also surgery, with radiation therapy and chemotherapy when necessary. Similar to what is seen in humans, grade and stage are prognostic in dogs. In one comparative study of the histology and immunohistochemistry of canine STSs, most tumors were diagnosed as the human equivalent of undifferentiated sarcoma, spindle cell sarcoma, or unclassified spindle cell sarcoma. But much work remains to be done to fully assess the validity of canine STSs as a model. Gene expression analysis has been done in a limited number of canine STSs. Tissue banking, development of cell lines, and the ability to mobilize large-scale clinical trials will become essential in veterinary medicine to benefit both dogs and humans

Safety of an Oncolytic Myxoma Virus in Dogs with Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Many oncolytic viruses that are efficacious in murine cancer models are ineffective in humans. The outcomes of oncolytic virus treatment in dogs with spontaneous tumors may better predict human cancer response and improve treatment options for dogs with cancer. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety of treatment with myxoma virus lacking the serp2 gene (MYXVΔserp2) and determine its immunogenicity in dogs. To achieve these objectives, dogs with spontaneous soft tissue sarcomas were treated with MYXVΔserp2 intratumorally (n = 5) or post-operatively (n = 5). In dogs treated intratumorally, clinical scores were recorded and tumor biopsies and swabs (from the mouth and virus injection site) were analyzed for viral DNA at multiple time-points. In all dogs, blood, urine, and feces were frequently collected to evaluate organ function, virus distribution, and immune response. No detrimental effects of MYXVΔserp2 treatment were observed in any canine cancer patients. No clinically significant changes in complete blood profiles, serum chemistry analyses, or urinalyses were measured. Viral DNA was isolated from one tumor swab, but viral dissemination was not observed. Anti-MYXV antibodies were occasionally detected. These findings provide needed safety information to advance clinical trials using MYXVΔserp2 to treat patients with cancer

Design dimensioning of survivable SDH networks

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Skin and subcutaneous tumors.

In dogs, approximately 25–30% of all neoplasms are reported to arise in the skin. The World Health Organization has a detailed histologic classification scheme for mesenchymal and epithelial skin tumors of domestic animals. All skin and subcutaneous masses should have fine needle aspiration cytology performed as part of the diagnostic process before surgical intervention. Appropriate treatment options in an individual case are based on the tumor type and degree of local tumor disease, the results of staging tests, the presence or absence of metastases, and the overall condition of the patient. Surgery can be used as the sole treatment modality or incombination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other adjunctive treatments. The chapter covers mast cell tumors (MCTs) and soft tissue sarcomas. MCTs are the most common malignant cutaneous tumor in dogs and the second most common cutaneous tumor in cats. The treatment of choice for local cutaneous melanoma in both the cat and dog is surgical excision

Skin and subcutaneous tumors.

In dogs, approximately 25–30% of all neoplasms are reported to arise in the skin. The World Health Organization has a detailed histologic classification scheme for mesenchymal and epithelial skin tumors of domestic animals. All skin and subcutaneous masses should have fine needle aspiration cytology performed as part of the diagnostic process before surgical intervention. Appropriate treatment options in an individual case are based on the tumor type and degree of local tumor disease, the results of staging tests, the presence or absence of metastases, and the overall condition of the patient. Surgery can be used as the sole treatment modality or incombination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other adjunctive treatments. The chapter covers mast cell tumors (MCTs) and soft tissue sarcomas. MCTs are the most common malignant cutaneous tumor in dogs and the second most common cutaneous tumor in cats. The treatment of choice for local cutaneous melanoma in both the cat and dog is surgical excision