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Cancer in dogs: How and when is it detected and is there room for improvement?

Overview

Major veterinary medical organizations recognize the importance of early cancer detection in dogs; however, guidelines-driven screening protocols for early cancer detection are lacking, and cancer is often detected at advanced stages. Diagnosis of canine cancer at earlier stages, or at earlier substages (e.g., prior to the onset of clinical signs) has been proven to lead to better outcomes for many cancer types.  This session will examine data from over 350 cancer-diagnosed dogs to establish how the presenting complaint came to attention and led to a definitive diagnosis of cancer in these patients. Additionally, the session will review the typical age at which cancer is diagnosed in dogs from a cohort of over 3,000 cancer-diagnosed patients. Using this data, an “age to start cancer screening” can be recommended, based on an individual dog’s breed or weight. The session will conclude with a discussion of how blood-based liquid biopsy testing may offer a convenient, non-invasive screening tool to aid in the earlier identification of cancer in dogs.

Learning Objectives

• Examine how canine cancer currently comes to our clinical attention
• Determine the most appropriate age to initiate cancer screening in an individual dog based on their breed or weight
• Explore how a novel, blood-based cancer screening test can be incorporated into a clinical workflow to aid in the earlier detection of cancer in dogs

Speaker

Angela L. McCleary-Wheeler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)

Dr. Angela McCleary-Wheeler is a graduate of Iowa State University (B.S. Biochemistry 2001; DVM 2005). She completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at the University of Missouri in 2006. She then moved to North Carolina State University for a medical oncology residency. Following her residency, she completed a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Mayo Clinic Graduate School in 2014. Her research interests include genomic and epigenomic alterations in cancers. She has been a faculty member at Cornell University as well as the University of Missouri before joining PetDx as the Director of Translational Research and Collaboration in November of 2021.

Accreditation/Credit Designation

This program has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

Acknowledgment of Commercial Support

This webinar is sponsored by PetDx.

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