Comparative Oncology in Animals: Advancements in Diagnostics and Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

The development of veterinary medicine regarding the oncology of companion animals has effected the need to extend research in the field to cats and dogs, which have a long lifespan and are often affected by cancer. As many diagnostic and treatment techniques have been adopted directly from human medicine, it has become obvious that we can learn from each other's experiences. However, veterinary medicine is also divided into many branches depending on the particular species. Therefore, not only the species but also the breed can have a significant effect on the efficiency of therapy. The breed, sex, spaying status, and age at spaying of the animal are only a few examples of the factors that may have an influence on the patient. Moreover, the environmental conditions in different regions of the world can affect the type of cancer experienced by animals. Advances in genetics have allowed us to compare the genome of many animal species with the human genome, as well as the activation of many signaling pathways in response to a given agent; thus, the use of comparative oncology can contribute to the development of veterinary oncology also.  

On the other hand, we have to be aware that the utilization of human models for veterinary medicine has limitations and will never replace clinical studies on animals, despite offering benefits regarding the diagnosis and treatment of many cancers in animals.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: comparative and translational studies of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in oncology; the study of tumor progression; the evaluation of novel cancer strategies in animals; and therapies that can be translated to other species.

Dr. Joanna Mucha
Guest Editor

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• comparative oncology
• veterinary oncology
• novel oncotherapies
• cancer
• translational medicine