Cancer Treatment for Dogs

Cancer. The word alone is sure to make your heart sink. It is one of the most common diseases of our pet dogs, and some scientists suggest that as many as 50% of our dogs will suffer from cancer at some stage in their lives.

Treatment of cancer in dogs has involved surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, with their associated complications and recovery times.

A new discovery may revolutionize cancer treatment for dogs. Scientists in north Queensland, Australia have isolated a chemical from fruit of a tropical rainforest tree which is showing great promise in treating some tumors in dogs and horses.

The chemical, now known as EBC-46, was discovered when the scientists noticed that rainforest animals happily ate the flesh of the fruit from a particular tree, but spat out the seeds. These seeds contained a chemical which made their tongues swell, so they didn't like it. When the chemical was isolated, it was found that it caused inflammation, and it is this characteristic that makes it useful in treating cancer.

EBC-46 is given as a single injection into a tumor, and leads to inflammation and the death of cancer cells and tumors on dogs. It also causes the body's own white blood cells to attack and kill the tumor.

There have been several dogs and horses successfully treated by EBC-46, and more substantial veterinary trials are planned for the first half of 2010.

Theoretically, any tumor that can be reached by a needle is susceptible to being treated by EBC-46. So far, the drug has been effective against nasopharyngeal tumors, malignant melanomas in the mouth of dogs, canine mast cell tumors and soft tissue sarcoids. Results have been noticed within a matter of weeks.

The beauty of this drug is that it is easy to give to the animal, and it causes very little, if any, trauma or tissue damage. So far, scientists haven't seen any significant side effects from the use of the drug.

The rainforest plant that is the source of EBC-46 can be rapidly grown in plantations in North Queensland, providing a renewable source of the drug.

While there haven't yet been any clinical trials of EBC-46, there is plenty of evidence that it works. If the trials that are planned for 2010 confirm that the drug is as effective as it appears to be, it will be a wonderful addition to our armory of weapons against cancer in our dogs.

Even more exciting is the potential for the drug to also be effective against cancer in humans.

There are many examples of human medical discoveries being beneficial for our animals. Some examples are stem cell therapy and hip replacement surgery. It's great that research into a cure for cancer in our dogs may save our lives down the track.