March 30, 2009

PetScoop -- Cancer-Fighting Drug Effective in Dogs

Intriguing health development reported at WebMD:

Researchers with the Cleveland Clinic have successfully treated cancer in dogs without toxic side effects or discomfort. The feat could soon lead to a powerful new strategy for treating the disease in people.

Joseph A. Bauer, PhD, with the Center for Hematology & Oncology Molecular Therapeutics at the Cleveland Clinic, detailed the extraordinary achievement at the 237th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City.

Bauer's team's success story begins with a "miracle dog" named Oscar, a 10-year-old male Bichon Frise stricken with an extremely aggressive form of cancer called anal sac adenocarcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiation failed to treat the dog's disease, which left him unable to walk. Oscar had about 3 months left to live.

That's when Bauer and colleagues gave him an innovative cancer-killing drug called nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl). Within two weeks, Oscar's cancer significantly improved and he was back on his feet.

And Oscar isn't the only dog on the road to recovery. Read report.

Read More in: Dogs | Health and Safety | Pet News

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