Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test detects early stage 1 cancer in dogs with high sensitivity
By Brown, Justin R et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2025·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High-sensitivity multicancer detection of stage 1 cancer in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new blood test can help detect early-stage cancer in dogs, which is crucial for effective treatment. This test looks for specific antibodies in a small blood sample and was able to identify stage 1 tumors in various types of cancer, including hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, with a sensitivity ranging from 60% to 98%. This means that if your dog has cancer, there's a good chance this test will catch it early when treatment is most effective. While further field studies are needed, this test could significantly improve how we diagnose and treat cancer in dogs.
People also search for: dog cancer blood test · early detection of lymphoma in dogs · hemangiosarcoma symptoms in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an orthogonal test that uses antibodies in a small blood sample to sensitively detect stage 1 tumors, when standard treatment can save lives. METHODS: Sera were studied from 283 dogs with stage 1 hemangiosarcoma (30), lymphoma (34), mast cell tumors (60), osteosarcoma (41), and soft tissue sarcoma (49) and dogs established to be cancer-free (69). Samples were applied to microarrays containing peptides synthesized on silicon wafers using photolithography and tert-butoxycarbonyl chemistry. Serum immunoglobulin G binding was measured. RESULTS: Peptides with antibody-binding activities associated with 1 of the 5 cancers or the cancer-free group were identified. Selections were used to build 2 multiclass models. Test performance was verified by peptide resampling or sample holdouts. A simple model detected the 5 different stage 1 tumors at sensitivities from 68% to 98%; the complex model provided stage 1 sensitivities from 60% to 88%, both at high specificities. CONCLUSIONS: Antibody activities to stage 1 tumors can be sensitively detected on peptide microarrays. Two divergent classifier-building approaches yielded similar test results. A field study is needed to validate findings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This blood-based test may address the challenges in detecting stage 1 canine cancers, creating opportunities for improved treatment outcomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40513713/