Glioma in Dogs and Humans: A Comparative Clinical Trial Is Underway to Treat This Brain Cancer

A glioma, a cancerous brain tumor that is most often fatal, develops in a similar way in humans and dogs. As part of a comparative medicine clinical trial, the veterinary team at Auburn University (United States) will study and treat this form of canine cancer over a five-year period. Studying the disease in animals may help treat human patients, and vice versa. There is currently no effective treatment for this cancer. Three U.S. universities (Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia) and the state of Mississippi are collaborating to conduct this clinical trial aimed at studying and treating the most lethal form of brain cancer, glioma. The goal is to develop a better animal model of the disease, which could potentially benefit human medicine. In fact, dogs develop natural tumors that arise spontaneously and are very similar to human tumors. They live in the same environment and will therefore serve as a good model for assessing responses to the various treatments being tested. For the clinical trial, 18 dogs carrying this specific type of brain tumor will be recruited. Breeds such as Boxers, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, and even Pit Bulls—which are more prone to developing this cancer—will be prioritized. These dogs, which are more likely to develop the disease, will help us learn more about these canine tumors at the molecular and genetic levels. Before being included in the study, candidate dogs will undergo an MRI to confirm the presence of a glioma and determine whether it is operable. This is because the recruited dogs will undergo tumor resection, during which an anticancer drug—M032, a genetically modified herpesvirus designed to destroy infected tumor cells while sparing healthy cells—will be injected directly into the tumor. The surgically removed brain tumors will also be sent to the laboratory for genetic and molecular testing. The researchers hope that this trial, with a budget of $6.2 million and scheduled to last five years, will eventually make it possible to treat both humans and dogs with malignant glioma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Currently, survival after diagnosis is often only a few years, or even a few months.