A large scale study of Cat intestinal cancer reveals some interesting results that will not only benefit cats, but could also benefit humans down the road. The oncology department at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine conducted the study on 1,129 cases of intestinal tumors in cats. The large sample was able to span 47 years of cancer and give some detailed results.
The most common intestinal cancers discovered in the cats were lymphoma (cancer of the immune system), and most of the cancers showed up in the small intestines.
The cat breed most at risk of intestinal cancer was the Siamese. With the most at risk group being the male Siamese aged 7 years or older.
As reported by http://www.sciencedaily.com, associate teaching professor Kim Selting reveals:
“This is important because there are very few population-based studies that allow us to evaluate cancer and risk factors on such a large scale,” Selting said. “Pet owners should be on the lookout for unexplained weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea, because these issues can be associated with intestinal cancer.”
Selting says that tracking animal cancer is important because animals share the environment with humans. By noting patterns of cancer development, doctors and veterinarians may become aware of environmental factors that could be causing tumor progression in different species, including humans.
“Animal health care may predict what could be coming for human health care,” Selting said. “For example, dogs are really the only species, other than humans, that develop the toughest type of prostate cancers. If a treatment develops that can help with prostate cancer, we can test it on dogs and find results faster because cancer in dogs progresses faster than cancer in humans.”
This is a fine example of helping animals ultimately benefiting humans. Let us hope that they are indeed able to find a cure for cancer in cats.
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