£3m Cancer Centre to Benefit Pets … and People

10 June 09

Hundreds of pets will have the bounce put back in their stride thanks to new treatment at a state-of-the-art cancer centre for animals.

And as if to prove the adage about man's best friend, the new centre at Edinburgh University's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies could also help provide key research for treating humans suffering from the devastating disease.

The results of the veterinary treatment that can now be done were highlighted yesterday with the story of seven-year-old border collie Scrooble who overcame cancer to became a Crufts finalist.

Scrooble, who competed in the 2008 Crufts Flyball agility contest six months after finishing treatment, was given a tour of the £3m cancer centre ahead of the official opening today.

The collie was no stranger to vet school staff having completed eight months of chemotherapy for lymphoma at the university's hospital complex at Easter Bush.

The dog's owner, Sara Hawkswell, 42, of Armadale, West Lothian, said Scrooble responded well.

She said: "Scrooble was so used to coming in for treatment that he would look out for anyone he knew walking past in the waiting room and then, when it was time for his treatment, he would jump right up on to the table."

Ms Hawkswell said he is now "full of energy" and competes in agility shows most weekends.

As the first specialist animal cancer centre in Scotland, the Edinburgh facility will help both owners and their animals through the distress and physical difficulties of cancer.

But the university said the new centre will also give a valuable insight into the treatment of the disease in humans through its related research programmes.

Scientists at the veterinary school have already discovered a rogue cancer stem cell in dogs that could help in finding new treatments for bone cancer in children and adolescents.

Information will be gathered while providing the latest therapies for animals including cats, dogs and horses.

Ensuring their patients have quality of life is key, staff at the centre said. Treatments such as chemotherapy are given in lower doses weight for weight to animals so the aim is for no debilitating effect but as in humans these therapies are usually more successful after early diagnosis.

Some - including curly haired breeds of dog - suffer hair loss but this is relatively rare, according to experts at the centre.

Such treatment courses can range in cost from £1500 to £4000, the lower end covering around six months of chemotherapy, although is depends on individual diagnosis.

Specific avenues of research will include identifying cancer-causing genes, understanding tumour progression and analysing the role of stem cells in cancers.

The centre's state-of-the-art equipment includes a computerised tomography (CT) scanner, which will be able to take scans of horses, and a linear accelerator to provide radiotherapy treatment.

Centre director Professor David Argyle said: "The centre will have the most sophisticated diagnostic procedures, followed by comprehensive cancer therapies for pets, including a linear accelerator to provide radiotherapy.

"Our understanding in treating cats and dogs and how cancer takes hold will also pave the way for comparative research, relating what we know about the disease in animals to humans to improve treatments for all."

Around one in three dogs and one in five cats will develop cancer, and the disease is the main cause of mortality in household pets.

Although cancer rates are increasing because animals are living longer, as with humans, new treatments have led to better survival rates.

The cancer centre forms part of a £100m development on the vet school site, which includes a research building and teaching building.

The Veterinary Cancer Care Centre, which is being officially opened by the Duchess of Hamilton, is expected to treat up to 20 cases of animal cancer a week.

The technology will mainly be suited to animals no smaller than cats and dogs and no larger than horses. Prof Argyle said while the staff's experience of treating cancers in exotic species may be limited, some may be considered.

Mr Argyle added: "Cancer is a leading cause of death in companion animals in the western world, representing a key clinical issue in veterinary medicine. The improvements in public health, vaccination and the control of infectious diseases mean that we have a pet population that is living longer than ever before, contributing to increased levels of age-related diseases such as cancer and arthritis.

"In addition, pet ownership has increased dramatically in the UK; there are now eight million cats, seven million dogs and tens of thousands of horses across the country.

"The university's aim is to find treatments and preventative techniques for all cancers, both animal and human, and it is in a unique position to discover common mechanisms and processes directly relevant to human medicine."

Source: Reproduced with the permission of The Herald, Glasgow © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Ltd.