One of the best ways to fight pet cancer and help prevent future generations from having to endure this disease is to enter your pet into a clinical trial.  Clinical trials are research studies that are conducted to discover new, safe and effective methods to treat and diagnose disease.  Clinical trials offer cutting-edge treatments that are often free or available at a reduced cost to the animal owner.  An Example of what clinical trials can do can be seen in this video;

The voluntary participation of pet owners in clinical research studies is of great value to veterinary researchers. We have provided links below to research facilities offering clinical trials.  If you are interested in a study or want more information, please contact the trial conductor listed at each description.

• Animal Medical Center of New York
• Auburn University
• Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center
• Louisiana State University
• Michigan State University
• North Carolina State
• Purdue University
• Texas A&M
• The Ohio State University
• Tufts University
• University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
• University of Florida
• University of Georgia
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• University of Minnesota
• University of Missouri
• University of Tennessee
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Van Andel Institute
• Veterinary Oncology and Hematology Center - Connecticut

National Clinical Trial Databases
These databases will help you search for a clinical trial for your dog:

• AKC Canine Health Foundation
• Animal Clinical Investigation
• Center For Cancer Research
• Morris Animal Foundation
• Veterinary Cancer Society
  

Comparative Oncology Program

The Comparative Oncology Program (COP) was launched in 2003 by the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research (CCR) to study naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease. The COP designs and implements clinical trials in collaboration with an active network of twenty academic comparative oncology centers across the United States and Canada called The Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC). To help researchers better understand the biology of cancer and to improve the assessment of novel treatments for humans, the COP executes clinical trials in dogs. Results from these trials support the further development of human clinical trials.

According to COP, pet animals participating in COP-sponsored clinical trials are given the most novel therapies available for the treatment of cancer. Pet animals in these trials receive treatment under the care of board-certified veterinary oncologists. The majority of these novel treatments are designed with an extensive understanding of the biology of cancer. As a result, pet owners can expect that their pets will tolerate these newer treatments better than most conventional forms of chemotherapy. Comparative oncology also helps animals with naturally occurring cancers by searching for alternatives when they do not respond to conventional treatments. To date, the COP has treated more than 150 dogs over the course of nine clinical trials. In many ways, pet animals will be taking the lead in the fight against cancer.

For more information on the Comparative Oncology Program, visit their website.

• Comparative Oncology Program