Timothy M Fan, DVM, PhD, University of Illinois
From Morris Animal Foundation website:
Working Toward an Immunotherapy for Osteosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in large- and giant-breed dogs, with an estimated 10,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Conventional therapies include surgical amputation of the affected limb followed by chemotherapy. Despite treatment, most dogs eventually succumb to metastatic disease, or cancer spread, within two years of diagnosis. Recently, immunotherapy has been heralded as a breakthrough for the management of many diverse cancer types, but few studies have investigated this approach in canine osteosarcoma. Researchers will evaluate a combination of radiation therapy and an immune-stimulating agent in dogs with osteosarcoma tumors of the leg. Their goal is to find a combination therapy that will delay the onset of cancer spread and possibly lead the way to an alternative and more effective treatment option for managing canine osteosarcoma, possibly in lieu of conventional surgery and chemotherapy.