COLORADO STATE’S ANIMAL CANCER CENTER INVESTIGATES PROMISING DRUG COMBINATION TO TREAT BONE CANCER

FORT COLLINS - The Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center is studying a promising combination of a new and an old cancer drug that may increase chemotherapy effectiveness without increasing unwanted side effects. The study may eventually be useful for the treatment of both human and animal cancer.

The center, which is seeking pet owners with dogs diagnosed with bone cancer to participate in the study, is combining a common chemotherapy drug, called doxorubicin or Adriamycin, with valproic acid, also called Depakote, a drug that previously has been used to treat seizures in dogs and humans. An enzyme called histone deacetylase, which may reduce the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy, can be inhibited with valproic acid.

"By combining these drugs, we think we may make chemotherapy more effective. We think they are stronger together," said Dr. Douglas Thamm, professor and researcher at the Animal Cancer Center. "Both of these drugs are available in generic forms and are widely available, making them affordable to humans and dogs. Our current study will help identify the optimal dose of valproic acid for use in dogs, and we hope it will lead to providing these drugs as a viable, affordable option for pets and humans facing bone cancer treatment choices."

Dogs in the study will receive valproic acid for several days before receiving a standard dose of doxorubicin. Veterinarians will be looking for common side effects of the drug such as liver issues and sleepiness to help identify the right combination. They'll also look at the impacts of the drug on the histone deacetylase enzyme and the effects of the drug combination on the size and spread of tumors.

Valproic acid has been shown in previous tests to "open up" the DNA of cancer cells by inhibiting the histone deacetylase enzyme. The drug may change the actual structure of the cancer cell's DNA, allowing chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin to cause more damage.

While this combination of drugs has shown much promise in the laboratory, it's sometimes difficult to get drug combinations into human trials without years of additional research, Thamm said. "This study will allow us to help dogs with cancer and provide information that may be helpful in future human trials. Both of these drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in humans for many years, but we hope our research into their use in combination will help develop the information needed for the drugs to be considered as a treatment together."

People interested in getting their dog involved in the drug trial should contact the Animal Cancer Center at (970) 297-4195. Dogs much undergo testing prior to the study to ensure that they are eligible and must meet certain other requirements. All treatments must be performed at Colorado State.

Dog with Bone Cancer Survives and Competes in Flyball Championship With 3 Legs!

Practice, practice, practice. Every sport requires it. And so does flyball.

"Flyball is really kind of an extreme game of fetch for dogs. It's a relay race for dogs," says dog owner Jennifer Rohling.

Like every sport, flyball also has winners. You can call them four-legged champs or canine celebrities.

Jagger is one of those champions. Named in honor of Mick of the Rolling Stones, Jagger is a big star in flyball. In fact, she's in the Clyde Moore Memorial Hall of Fame, which honors flyball's best.

In the 40-year history of flyball, Jagger ranks as one of the top 15 dogs to ever play the game. Jagger is also an English shepherd playing in a sport better suited to Border Collies. Jagger's story goes beyond being a good dog that's good at a doggy game.

Her story is an inspirational one. She lost her back leg to cancer. Rohling, Jagger's owner, remembers how it began.

"When Jagger was about nine-years-old I noticed she had a little lump in her toe that would come and go. They determined it was synovial sarcoma which is a type of cancer. Unfortunately, they said her only way to survive was to have her whole leg amputated. It was very devastating. Beyond all that, she's my soul mate and my friend and I was worried about her."

Rohling says Jagger may have lost a leg to cancer, but she didn't lose her heart.

"Probably about eight weeks after her surgery we were here at practice and she really wanted to get out there and play, and we let her go up to the box and she hit the box and got the ball. And so we backed her up a little and tried a couple jumps and she proved that she could still do it."

By now you've guessed that Jagger is back competing in the veteran's class and, well, she hasn't lost a step.

And the results haven't changed.

So that's the story of Jagger, a flyball champ with lots of rock, lots of roll. It definitely has a fairy tale ending. Here's hoping, Jagger lives happily ever after.