Bladder cancer in pet dogs: a sentinel for environmental cancer?

Proportional morbidity ratios (PMRs) were calculated for cancers, by site or type, in 8760 pet dogs seen at 13 veterinary medical teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada. A significant positive correlation was seen between the PMRs for canine bladder cancer and the overall level of industrial activity in the host county of the hospital. An analysis of mortality from bladder cancer among white men and women in the same US counties showed similar correlations with industrial activity. Canine bladder cancer could be a sentinel condition whose investigation in locales might lead to early identification of carcinogenic hazards in the general environment.