Lab reports and cat scans: can veterinary oncology guide our way to new treatments for human cancers?

The development of veterinary oncology as a
speciality has benefited from the changing role
of companion animals in society, and the accessibility
to treatment afforded by pet insurance
schemes now means that, at least in financial
terms, a diagnosis of cancer in our pets is no
longer an automatic death sentence. Veterinary
oncology is making significant inroads as a
specialist field of veterinary internal medicine,
reflected by the work of referral practices around
the USA and Europe. Many are affiliated with
veterinary schools, which are leading the way in
the development and optimization of treatments
for a range of veterinary cancers. The Veterinary
Cancer Society and the European Association of
Veterinary Oncology have grown into vibrant
professional organizations to promote advances
in veterinary oncology. What is particularly
illuminating is that studies involving spontaneous
veterinary cancers are now appearing in
the mainstream cancer research journals – in
fact, a recent issue of this journal dedicated a
mini-focus to veterinary pharmaceuticals [1].
Historically, efforts to merge the medical and