Melanoma Research - Call for Samples

Samples Needed for Canine Melanoma Research!

[Tuesday, August 3, 2010]

The Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium (CHCC) needs your help! They are studying canine melanoma and are requesting blood samples from any purebred dog to further their research to identify the underlying genetic lesions and biochemical pathways that contribute to this disease.

Melanoma is a form of cancer in which the pigment-producing cells of the skin, melanocytes, multiply in an uncontrolled manner. Canine melanoma can be malignant or benign; malignant cancer is capable of spreading from the original tumor to lymph nodes and distant organs. Once melanoma is established in an organ, additional tumors grow and often ultimately cause the death of the animal. Canine melanoma is frequently malignant when it occurs in the mouth, toes or behind the eyes. Oral melanoma, for example, is a particularly aggressive subtype of the disease, with a 5-year survival rate of 10 - 25%.

The CHCC will provide sample collection kits and pay for shipping. Requested samples include whole blood (5 mls in an EDTA "purple top" tube) and/or fresh tumor samples. Dogs in remission are eligible to participate in this study, as are dogs who have already had tumors removed.

For further information, collection kits and shipping information, please contact Dr. Roe Froman at the Van Andel Research Institute (office: 616.234.5569 cell: 616.914.0934).

The Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium (CHCC), headed by Drs. Jeff Trent (TGen), Nick Duesbery (Van Andel Research Institute), and Paul Meltzer (National Cancer Institute/NIH), is an unprecedented alliance of scientists, veterinarians and physicians. The melanoma research will be supported by the recent approval of a 2-year, $4.3 million federal stimulus grant to the CHCC, which includes TGen and the Van Andel Research Institute in partnership with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, dog breeders and veterinarians.

Cancer

Angel Care Cancer Centers

Animal Cancer Institute

Animal Medical Center Donaldson-Atwood Cancer Clinic

Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine - cancer research

Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists - oncology

Oncolink - Abramsom Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

The Perseus Foundation

Veterinary Cancer Society - a non-profit educational organization formed in 1874 by a group of veterinary oncologists

AKC CHF Call for Participation

Studying heart function in dogs with lymphoma -- All Breeds
A new Veterinary Teaching Hospital study is being conducted to
determine whether doxorubicin, one of the primary drugs used in
treating lymphoma in dogs, may weaken the canine heart.

Please e-mail julie_osborne@ncsu.edu for more information.

Dogs with Oral Melanoma -- All Breeds
Dogs with oral melanoma are being recruited for a study of a novel
vaccine developed by Merial Limited, an animal pharmaceutical
company, to determine if this vaccine can help to prolong the
survival time in dogs with oral melanoma. Dogs enrolled in the study
will receive the melanoma vaccine and associated exams and labwork
and radiographs which will be subsidized by the study.

For more information on this study email: paul_hess@ncsu.edu or
julie_osborne@ncsu.edu or call 919-513-6812.