Earlier this month, human and animal oncologists convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss how they might collaborate for the benefit of both. And the subject was dogs.

Spearheaded by Colorado State Colorado State University (CSU) and its Flint Animal Cancer Center, the June 8-9 comparative oncology event focused on translational cancer research, i.e., studies that seek effective cancer treatments initially with animals but benefiting both animals and humans.

The event had two objectives within veterinary oncology, reported CSU.

First, it sought to identify how to more fully characterize the genetic makeup of tumors that develop in dogs and people, and, second, to further investigate the role of cancer immunology in dogs. 

The event was triggered by a need to integrate clinical studies in pets within the larger cancer research continuum. 

Many new therapies fail in human clinical trials because rodent models lack the key characteristics of human cancer. However, because human and pet tumors share many characteristics, there is now renewed interest in companion animal studies about naturally occurring tumors.

The National Cancer Policy Forum hosted the event. About 20 academic and nonprofit organizations sponsored the event, which was also live-streamed.