FidoCure – an AI-driven precision oncology company working on targeted therapies for canine cancer – has published a study alongside Stanford University showing how genomic profiling and targeted therapies can significantly improve outcomes for dogs with hemangiosarcoma.
The study analyzed data from 508 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma at all stages of progression. Dogs were categorized into three treatment groups: those receiving only splenectomy, those receiving splenectomy with chemotherapy, and those receiving splenectomy with both chemotherapy and targeted therapies (small molecule inhibitors that target cancer proteins).
Results showed surprising differences in survival:
- Dogs treated with only splenectomy survived a median of 81 days.
- Adding chemotherapy extended survival to 149 days.
- The combination of chemotherapy and targeted therapies produced the best results, with median survival reaching 211 days.
These benefits were seen even in advanced cases (stages II and III) where tumors had ruptured or potentially metastasized. Most importantly, targeted therapies showed lasting effects – doubling the 1-year survival rate for stage II dogs from 11.1% with chemotherapy alone to 20.8% when combined with targeted therapies. The 2-year survival rate improved from 0% to 5.2%.
The study reinforced the already-known effectiveness of doxorubicin, the most commonly used chemotherapy drug while showing that targeted therapy could match its benefits for stage II dogs. However, the greatest improvement came from combining both approaches.
Researchers also studied how specific drugs worked based on tumor genetics. They found that rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used in humans, significantly benefited dogs with certain genetic mutations, implying it could become a standard treatment. However, trametinib, also used in human cancers, did not improve survival in dogs as expected, indicating that these tumors may rely on other pathways.
These findings highlight the importance of personalized medicine in treating canine cancer. By using genetic tests to guide treatment decisions, veterinarians could achieve significantly better survival outcomes, offering new hope for dogs diagnosed with this aggressive disease.
