Original Project Description:
Canine hemangiosarcoma is the most aggressive cancer seen in all dogs, but disproportionately affects older, large breed dogs. Despite aggressive treatment with surgery and chemotherapy, more than 50% of dogs die due to metastatic spread of their cancer within 6 months and no significant advancements in the treatment of hemangiosarcoma have occurred in over 30 years. Several challenges have hindered improvements in outcomes including limitations in the capabilities of current imaging and/or blood-based markers to detect early relapse/metastasis, gaps in current understanding of the molecular biology of hemangiosarcoma, and a lack of effective therapies that effectively alter the aggressive metastatic behavior of this cancer.
A nation-wide clinical trial for 400 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma seeks to deliver curative outcomes for dogs with this disease. With collaboration from AKC Canine Health Foundation, dog-owning families from outside the geographical enactment of 30 Ethos veterinary hospitals can join the trial to receive care, and to conduct genomic correlative studies with two internationally recognized scientific teams to gain critical new knowledge necessary to propel the field to this future goal of curative outcomes. Researchers will utilize a patient-forward approach and leverage genomic insight into hemangiosarcoma to propose and answer the following questions: (1) are there molecular biomarkers that predict prognosis in dogs with this disease?; (2) can we define genomic subgroups of dogs with hemangiosarcoma who are most likely to benefit from specific anticancer drugs?; (3) can we define new therapeutic approaches to prevent the spread of this cancer? This approach follows the road map used in transforming childhood leukemia from a fatal diagnosis to a commonly cured disease. By leveraging the strengths of a unique and multidisciplinary team of clinicians and scientists, this canine hemangiosarcoma study will lay the foundation for accelerating drug development and improving patient outcomes for dogs with this devastating disease.
Multiple presentations and publications are noted in the report link below.
Report to Grant Sponsor from Investigator:
Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is one of the most aggressive and devastating cancers in dogs, often spreading before it is detected and frequently presenting as a life-threatening emergency when the tumor suddenly ruptures and causes internal bleeding. It affects tens of thousands of dogs each year—most commonly older, large-breed dogs—and survival rates have not meaningfully improved in more than 30 years, despite numerous efforts to explore new chemotherapy drug combinations and novel treatment agents.
Ethos Discovery is now leading a landmark, 5-year clinical trial—the Ethos Precision Medicine Umbrella Study for Hemangiosarcoma (PUSH) study—and has enrolled more than 500 dogs to date. This study is designed to transform how we diagnose and treat HSA by using cutting-edge genomic tools to identify which tumors are more aggressive, which dogs may respond better to specific treatments, and what new therapies might stop the cancer from spreading. Our approach follows the same scientific strategy that ultimately turned childhood leukemia from a fatal disease into one that is frequently cured.
The continued success of this work relies on a highly coordinated scientific team spanning multiple veterinary hospitals and research centers throughout the US. This nationwide collaboration allows us to gather high-quality samples from every enrolled dog, making each patient an essential part of the discoveries that will drive the next generation of life-saving treatments for hemangiosarcoma.