A multi-centre prospective evaluation of internet research habits among owners seeing a veterinary oncologist.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the internet-use among pet owners seeing a veterinary oncologist. Over a two-month period, 137 questionnaires were collected at three specialty hospitals around a large urban city. Approximately 85% of respondents reported using the internet to research their pet's condition and/or treatment. A search engine was the most employed means however veterinary university websites were considered to provide the most accurate information. The odds of owners who researched their own health condition online researching their pet's condition was 4.3 (95% CI: 1.2-23.1, p < .021) times as high as owners who did not research their own health condition. The odds of owners who have been to their oncologist previously to research their pet's condition was 4.7 (95% CI: 26.9.3, p < .001) times as high than owners who have not been to an oncologist previously. Oncologists should be aware internet use among pet owners appears common and further research to assess the accuracy and readability of veterinary medical websites appears indicated.

Cancer detection in clinical practice and using blood-based liquid biopsy: A retrospective audit of over 350 dogs.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines-driven screening protocols for early cancer detection in dogs are lacking, and cancer often is detected at advanced stages. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To examine how cancer typically is detected in dogs and whether the addition of a next-generation sequencing-based "liquid biopsy" test to a wellness visit has the potential to enhance cancer detection. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs with definitive cancer diagnoses enrolled in a clinical validation study for a novel blood-based multicancer early detection test. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review was performed to establish the history and presenting complaint that ultimately led to a definitive cancer diagnosis. Blood samples were subjected to DNA extraction, library preparation, and next-generation sequencing. Sequencing data were analyzed using an internally developed bioinformatics pipeline to detect genomic alterations associated with the presence of cancer. RESULTS: In an unselected cohort of 359 cancer-diagnosed dogs, 4% of cases were detected during a wellness visit, 8% were detected incidentally, and 88% were detected after the owner reported clinical signs suggestive of cancer. Liquid biopsy detected disease in 54.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5%-59.8%) of patients, including 32% of dogs with early-stage cancer, 48% of preclinical dogs, and 84% of dogs with advanced-stage disease. CONCLUSIONS/CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Most cases of cancer were diagnosed after the onset of clinical signs; only 4% of dogs had cancer detected using the current standard of care (i.e., wellness visit). Liquid biopsy has the potential to increase detection of cancer when added to a dog's wellness visit.

Clinical validation of a next-generation sequencing-based multi-cancer early detection "liquid biopsy" blood test in over 1,000 dogs using an independent testing set: The CANcer Detection in Dogs (CANDiD) study.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs, yet there are no established screening paradigms for early detection. Liquid biopsy methods that interrogate cancer-derived genomic alterations in cell-free DNA in blood are being adopted for multi-cancer early detection in human medicine and are now available for veterinary use. The CANcer Detection in Dogs (CANDiD) study is an international, multi-center clinical study designed to validate the performance of a novel multi-cancer early detection "liquid biopsy" test developed for noninvasive detection and characterization of cancer in dogs using next-generation sequencing (NGS) of blood-derived DNA; study results are reported here. In total, 1,358 cancer-diagnosed and presumably cancer-free dogs were enrolled in the study, representing the range of breeds, weights, ages, and cancer types seen in routine clinical practice; 1,100 subjects met inclusion criteria for analysis and were used in the validation of the test. Overall, the liquid biopsy test demonstrated a 54.7% (95% CI: 49.3-60.0%) sensitivity and a 98.5% (95% CI: 97.0-99.3%) specificity. For three of the most aggressive canine cancers (lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma), the detection rate was 85.4% (95% CI: 78.4-90.9%); and for eight of the most common canine cancers (lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma, mast cell tumor, mammary gland carcinoma, anal sac adenocarcinoma, malignant melanoma), the detection rate was 61.9% (95% CI: 55.3-68.1%). The test detected cancer signal in patients representing 30 distinct cancer types and provided a Cancer Signal Origin prediction for a subset of patients with hematological malignancies. Furthermore, the test accurately detected cancer signal in four presumably cancer-free subjects before the onset of clinical signs, further supporting the utility of liquid biopsy as an early detection test. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that NGS-based liquid biopsy can offer a novel option for noninvasive multi-cancer detection in dogs.

Clinical effects of vinorelbine administration in the management of various malignant tumor types in dogs: 58 cases (1997-2012).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of vinorelbine in the management of various malignant tumor types in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 58 dogs with malignant tumors, including pulmonary carcinoma (n = 31), histiocytic sarcoma (9), mast cell tumor (5), lymphoma (4), melanoma (2), and 7 other tumor types (1 each). PROCEDURES: Medical records of dogs treated with vinorelbine from December 1997 to December 2012 were reviewed for data regarding signalment, clinical signs, physical examination findings, clinicopathologic test results, diagnostic imaging results, vinorelbine doses and dose frequency, surgery and radiotherapy details when applicable, other chemotherapeutics administered, and outcomes. Descriptive, comparative, and survival statistics were computed for all dogs and for dogs by histologic subgroup of tumors. RESULTS: Vinorelbine was administered palliatively to 44 (76%) dogs. One (2%) dog had a complete response for 162 days, 5 (11%) dogs had a partial response for a median duration of 91 days, 19 (43%) dogs had stable disease for a median duration of 68 days, and 19 (43%) dogs developed progressive disease after a median duration of 21 days. Clinical benefit was more difficult to assess in the remaining 14 (24%) dogs that received vinorelbine as an adjuvant treatment. Overall median time to tumor progression was 103 days (range, 5 to 1,533 days). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Vinorelbine appeared to be effective in the treatment of several tumor types in dogs. Follow-up prospective studies of the clinical benefit of the drug in specific clinical scenarios will be necessary to support this conclusion.

Clinical features, treatment options, and outcome in dogs with thymoma: 116 cases (1999-2010).

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical signs, diagnostic findings, treatment, and outcome and determine factors associated with survival time for dogs with thymoma. DESIGN: Multi-institutional retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 116 dogs with thymoma. PROCEDURES: Medical records were searched for information regarding signalment, physical examination findings, results of laboratory testing and diagnostic imaging, medical and surgical treatment, and survival data. RESULTS: Of the 116 dogs with thymoma, 44 (38%) were Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. Twenty of 116 (17%) dogs had signs of myasthenia gravis (diagnosis was confirmed for 13 dogs). At the time of thymoma diagnosis, 40 (34%) dogs had hypercalcemia, 8 (7%) dogs had a concurrent immune-mediated disease, and 31 (27%) dogs had another tumor; 16 (14%) dogs developed a second nonthymic tumor at a later date. Tumor excision was performed for 84 dogs, after which 14 (17%) had tumor recurrence; prognosis was good for dogs undergoing a second surgery. Median survival time with and without surgical treatment was 635 and 76 days, respectively. Presence of another tumor at the time of thymoma diagnosis, lack of surgical excision, and higher pathological stage were significantly associated with shorter survival time. Hypercalcemia and presence of myasthenia gravis or megaesophagus at the time of thymoma diagnosis, histopathologic subtype of thymoma, or tumor development at a later date was not associated with survival time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dogs with thymoma, even those with a large tumor burden or a paraneoplastic syndrome, had a good prognosis following surgery. Surgical treatment, tumor stage, and the presence of a second tumor at diagnosis influenced survival time.