Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A New Treatment for Canine Lymphoma? (Canine Lymphoma)

Canine Lymphoma

Researchers at the University of Illinois are testing a new lymphoma treatment for dogs. This new drug acts on a specific enzyme called procaspase-3 that causes cancer cells to die. Many cancers in humans and animals contain high levels of procaspase-3, which means this drug could be a target for cancers in both animals and humans.

While testing this new compound, called PAC-1, in dogs, researchers discovered it made their brain cells more excitable by binding to zinc. To offset this undesirable effect, they modified PAC-1 so that this is no longer a problem. This new lymphoma treatment for seems to have few risks or side effects.

Unfortunately, this treatment for dog lymphoma needs further testing and may not be approved by the FDA for several years. In the meantime, chemotherapy, using already approved cancer drugs, remains the standard treatment approach. Not all dogs respond to chemotherapy for canine lymphoma – especially if the diagnosis is made too late.

Canine Lymphoma

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