SUMMARY: Researchers are studying if hemangiosarcoma (HSA) subtypes influence how affected dogs respond to treatment – a step toward precision medicine for these patients.
THE PROBLEM: Hemangiosarcoma is a serious and usually fatal cancer of dogs. Most dogs die of the disease by within 4-6 months post-diagnosis, even with aggressive treatment. However, some research suggests that hemangiosarcoma is not one disease but comprised of different subtypes, and these subtypes might be related to longevity and response to therapy.
THE PROJECT: This research team has previously found that dogs with one type of HSA are more likely to live longer than dogs that have a different type of HSA. This may explain why current treatments fail to help most dogs with HSA live longer despite aggressive care. To take a closer look at this finding, researchers will identify the HSA type or signature in tumors from dogs that have lived longer than other dog patients with HSA. The team is using data from a study in progress to inform their evaluation of archived tissues to assess prevalence and survival.
PROJECT UPDATE: The team encountered an obstacle when the library generation for the RNA-sequencing portion of the project did not work – the team is in the process of redoing the RNA-extraction and sequencing.
During the next 6-12 months, the team also will extract RNA from the tumor blocks and submit these samples in smaller batches for RNA-sequencing. They have identified several signatures in dogs associated with aging that they think may impact treatment outcomes. They plan to refine any signature(s) identified and validate the gene expression signature by staining the tumor sections for proteins encoded by the differentially expressed genes identified in their analysis. Their goal is to determine if these signatures contribute to recurrence in dogs treated with chemotherapy as targeting these genes/pathways may lead to better responses in older dogs with hemangiosarcoma.
POTENTIAL IMPACT: If the team is successful, their findings could have a major impact on how HSA is treated in dogs as well as provide information on long-term prognosis based on subtype. These results could help both veterinarians and pet parents make more informed decisions for dogs diagnosed with this terrible cancer.
Research Update Dr. Dickerson regarding hemangiosarcoma treatment response and subtypes.