Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

A Preclinical Murine Model of Hepatic Metastases
Published on: September 27, 2014
Naturally occurring cancer in pet dogs: important models for developing improved cancer therapy for humans
1Dept of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1248, USA. knappdw@vet.purdue.edu
Abstract:
It has been said that "dog is man's best friend'. Comparative oncologists are demonstrating that pet dogs could hold the keys for advances in cancer treatment in people. Specific types of cancer that arise spontaneously in pet dogs could serve as important models of human cancer, having much greater similarity to their counterparts in humans than many currently used experimentally induced tumor models. In vivo models that are relevant to human cancer are greatly needed, particularly for evaluating new strategies for cancer therapy, such as augmentation of the immune system or blockade of the metastatic cascade. In addition, pet dogs could also be used to identify environmental carcinogens by acting as sentinels of cancer induced by these toxins.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer
What is Cancer?
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of patients who died from...
Mouse Models of Cancer Study
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
Mouse Models of Cancer Study
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...

