The Foundation would like to thank the PWDCA for agreeing to join us by co-sponsoring this research. We would also like to thank all of our contributors and all PWD owners who participated in the blood draw at the National Specialty in Maryland as well as those who mailed in their samples that made this research a success.

As you all know, Dr. Jaime Modiano has been doing research to try and develop a blood test for the early detection of Canine Hemangiosarcoma. We have received a final report which is copied below. The last paragraph is most exciting.

Grant Title: Detection of Circulating Canine Hemangiosarcoma Cells Using Multi-Parameter Flow Cytometry

Principal Investigator: Jaime F. Modiano, VMD, PhD

Report Date: July 28, 2006

The main goal of this project, funded by the PWDF and the PWDCA was to develop a diagnostic test that can be used to detect hemangiosarcoma cells in blood samples from dogs. The rationale for the test is based on the fact that, as a tumor of cells that line blood vessels, hemangiosarcoma tumor cells are in intimate contact with blood and are likely to shed cells into the circulation. We can therefore use the identification of those cells to confirm a possible diagnosis in dogs that have clinical signs, and eventually to detect the disease before it becomes clinically evident (early stages when it may be more amenable to treatment) as well as to follow response to therapy (monitor remissions).

The language and results in this report are geared to a lay audience. Members of the PWDF or the PWDCA who wish to obtain additional details can contact Dr. Modiano at info@modianolab.org.

For this report, we have retained the sections from the previous report that review the disease and the need for this test, and we have updated what we have accomplished, and what the future holds.

The disease. Canine hemangiosarcoma is an incurable tumor of cells that line blood vessels (endothelial cells). The disease occurs most commonly in the spleen, but it can also arise from the heart, liver, skin, bone, or other organs. Based on current estimates of the lifetime risk of cancer in dogs (approximately 1 of every 3) and the prevalence of hemangiosarcoma (about 7% of all cancers), we predict that of 65 million pet dogs living in the United States today, as many as two million may get this cancer and die from it. Although dogs of any age and breed are susceptible to hemangiosarcoma, it occurs more commonly in certain breeds including Portuguese Water Dogs. Hemangiosarcoma is extremely indolent – that is, it develops slowly and is essentially painless – so clinical signs are usually not evident until the advanced stages when the tumors are resistant to most treatments. Less than 50% of dogs treated with standard of care for this tumor (surgery and intensive chemotherapy) survive more than six months. Many dogs die from severe internal bleeding before there is an opportunity to institute treatment.

Why do we need a blood test for hemangiosarcoma? The clinical signs of hemangiosarcoma are non-specific, so there are some diagnostic challenges. In most cases, the disease appears as sporadic episodes of weakness or simply “feeling tired.” This is due to internal bleeding from the tumor, resulting in anemia (reduced numbers of red blood cells that carry oxygen). Because this bleeding is not always life-threatening when the tumors are small, the body can respond by reabsorbing the blood and making new red cells, allowing the affected dogs will resume their normal behavior until the tumor bleeds again.

A clinical suspicion of hemangiosarcoma can be strengthened by laboratory and imaging tests, but confirmation requires a biopsy that can be examined under the microscope by a pathologist. Sometime, biopsies can be difficult to obtain (for example, in tumors that arise from the heart), or the other processes like large blood clots and inflammation may obscure the tumor in the biopsy sample. One benefit of this blood test would be the ability to confirm the diagnosis without the need for invasive procedures and to monitor the response to therapy.

What have we accomplished? Since the last progress report filed, the paper in Experimental Hematology was published (support from PWDCA and PWDF is acknowledged in the paper). We have further refined the system to verify we can detect malignant endothelial cells in dog blood when they represent as few as 0.01% of the nucleated cells. We are continuing to work out technical details, including cell enrichment methods, use of “positive” vs. “negative” selection, and the most reliable and reproducible format to offer the test in the field (that is, to “real” patients). The test will be licensed by Idexx Laboratories, Inc., which has now provided support for completion of the development process, including clearing regulatory hurdles and providing nationwide availability. We are much closer to a real product, and the support from the PWDCA and the PWDF allowed us to make significant progress and secure more stable funding for development from Idexx. We are indebted to the Club and the Foundation for their generosity and vision to make this happen. We truly feel this test will make a quantitative improvement in the quality of life for our dogs, by improving our ability to diagnose the disease and monitor the response to therapy.

THANK YOU again for your support!

For a printable PDF version of this report, click here.