Experts at the Cleveland Clinic have successfully treated cancer in dogs, and this could lead to an interesting new strategy on how to fight cancer in people as well.
Joseph A. Bauer, PhD at the 237th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, presented research on just this topic. The research built on more than 60 years of effort toward developing a B12 based attack for cancer.
The story starts with a dog by the name of Oscar, a ten year old Bichon Frise who unfortunately had an aggressive type of cancer known as anal sac adenocarcinoma.
After treatment with the standard chemotherapy and radiation, with no improvement, Oscar was left unable to walk and with only three months to live.
As a last hope, Bauer ave the sick dog a cancer killing medicine known as nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl for short).
Within 14 days his condition had improved and he was back on his feet.
The compound has been given to other dogs since with good results and no negative side effects. This compound targets cancer cells like the fabled "Trojan horse", a way to cause damage, but delivered by being hidden inside something that looks harmless.
The medication is made of nitric oxide that's attached to vitamin B12. Researchers know that receptors on cell surfaces will attract the vitamin and assist it in getting into the cell.
The compound works because cancer cells have extra B12 receptors. Once inside, the nitric oxide is released and the cell dies. Genius, pure genius.
Bauer's and his team is ultrasound and MRI imaging to monitor tumor sizes in all three of the dogs currently undergoing treatment.
After 9 months of NO-Cbl the spinal tumor of a 6 year old golden retriever, Buddy, has been shrunk by 40%, and the thyroid cancer of a 13 year old female giant schnauzer has shrunk by 77% in just ten weeks of treatment.
A fourth dog, Haley, also a golden retriever, is being treated for a spinal tumor. And once the team treated ten dogs successfully with the drug, they'll attempt to get FDA approval to test the medication in people.
Bauer believes firmly that what works in these animals holds promise for treating their humans as well.
He suggests that people and dogs are genetically similar - enough to make a successful case for approval from the FDA.
Interesting to know that the National Cancer Institute collects data on pets, which makes sense if you think about it.
After all, they breathe the same air; drink the same water and eat processed foods just as we do.
"We are one of the few research groups that is offering to treat dogs with cancer that otherwise have no hope," Bauer points out. "With no other options available, most people in this situation opt to euthanize so that their pets don't go through the pain of disease and trauma of surgery."
The good news for dog owners is that this new method may also offers hope for a faithful friend who might be one of the estimated 6 million dogs in the U.S. alone diagnosed with cancer each year.
It's a rare thing for research to uncover a treatment that can be used for animals, and may realistically hold promise for people on how to fight cancer.
Joseph A. Bauer, PhD at the 237th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, presented research on just this topic. The research built on more than 60 years of effort toward developing a B12 based attack for cancer.
The story starts with a dog by the name of Oscar, a ten year old Bichon Frise who unfortunately had an aggressive type of cancer known as anal sac adenocarcinoma.
After treatment with the standard chemotherapy and radiation, with no improvement, Oscar was left unable to walk and with only three months to live.
As a last hope, Bauer ave the sick dog a cancer killing medicine known as nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl for short).
Within 14 days his condition had improved and he was back on his feet.
The compound has been given to other dogs since with good results and no negative side effects. This compound targets cancer cells like the fabled "Trojan horse", a way to cause damage, but delivered by being hidden inside something that looks harmless.
The medication is made of nitric oxide that's attached to vitamin B12. Researchers know that receptors on cell surfaces will attract the vitamin and assist it in getting into the cell.
The compound works because cancer cells have extra B12 receptors. Once inside, the nitric oxide is released and the cell dies. Genius, pure genius.
Bauer's and his team is ultrasound and MRI imaging to monitor tumor sizes in all three of the dogs currently undergoing treatment.
After 9 months of NO-Cbl the spinal tumor of a 6 year old golden retriever, Buddy, has been shrunk by 40%, and the thyroid cancer of a 13 year old female giant schnauzer has shrunk by 77% in just ten weeks of treatment.
A fourth dog, Haley, also a golden retriever, is being treated for a spinal tumor. And once the team treated ten dogs successfully with the drug, they'll attempt to get FDA approval to test the medication in people.
Bauer believes firmly that what works in these animals holds promise for treating their humans as well.
He suggests that people and dogs are genetically similar - enough to make a successful case for approval from the FDA.
Interesting to know that the National Cancer Institute collects data on pets, which makes sense if you think about it.
After all, they breathe the same air; drink the same water and eat processed foods just as we do.
"We are one of the few research groups that is offering to treat dogs with cancer that otherwise have no hope," Bauer points out. "With no other options available, most people in this situation opt to euthanize so that their pets don't go through the pain of disease and trauma of surgery."
The good news for dog owners is that this new method may also offers hope for a faithful friend who might be one of the estimated 6 million dogs in the U.S. alone diagnosed with cancer each year.
It's a rare thing for research to uncover a treatment that can be used for animals, and may realistically hold promise for people on how to fight cancer.
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