By Rob Sutter
Animals are a common group to use as a test subject in order to see the effectiveness of drugs. I may not be the biggest fan of this system, as I'm sure others are, but I've since come to terms of it and I know it's a necessary evil. It seems like my mind is going to be changed even more so and that's because of a new set of tests on brain tumors being used. One can only hope that the results are so great that they can, at some point, carry over to humans as well.
An article posted on the Emory University website told about how the University of Georgia would be given a grant in order to test an experimental drug on dogs possessing brain tumors after partial surgical removal. There is similarity in human tumors to those in dogs known as spontaneous gliomas. In turn, the poor prognosis is about the same, too. The hope is that this treatment allows tumor growth to come about more slowly and stands as a story for companies such as Voices Against Brain Cancer to look at.
This sort of treatment was first utilized on Petey, a pit bull of seven years old. Before this happened, the dog underwent a stroke and he was taken to a specialist, who confirmed that Petey had a tumor. He had to undergo surgery to remove part of it and that's when the aforementioned treatment was utilized. Due to the nonexistent level of toxicity with this particular agent, it seems like it would be safe to use on just about any specimen.
The article also spoke positively of Petey's recovery and that he seemed to be doing much better. Six weeks following surgery, a follow-up MRI showed that the agent was still inside of the tumor and working well. Five months after the fact, the tumor appeared to be decrease in size, which is arguably a more substantial finding. Petey is clearly healthier in this way and I think it has allowed the doors of treatment to be opened up that much wider.
I'm someone who loves animals dearly and would like to see each one live healthfully. I don't like reading about these particular kinds of stories because all creates deserve a healthy span of life. Petey has a story that's sad for those in the know about brain tumors and I think that he has been able to do his part, which is a great one, in learning about cancer. Hopefully the results that had come about thanks to him will be able to stand the test of time.
An article posted on the Emory University website told about how the University of Georgia would be given a grant in order to test an experimental drug on dogs possessing brain tumors after partial surgical removal. There is similarity in human tumors to those in dogs known as spontaneous gliomas. In turn, the poor prognosis is about the same, too. The hope is that this treatment allows tumor growth to come about more slowly and stands as a story for companies such as Voices Against Brain Cancer to look at.
This sort of treatment was first utilized on Petey, a pit bull of seven years old. Before this happened, the dog underwent a stroke and he was taken to a specialist, who confirmed that Petey had a tumor. He had to undergo surgery to remove part of it and that's when the aforementioned treatment was utilized. Due to the nonexistent level of toxicity with this particular agent, it seems like it would be safe to use on just about any specimen.
The article also spoke positively of Petey's recovery and that he seemed to be doing much better. Six weeks following surgery, a follow-up MRI showed that the agent was still inside of the tumor and working well. Five months after the fact, the tumor appeared to be decrease in size, which is arguably a more substantial finding. Petey is clearly healthier in this way and I think it has allowed the doors of treatment to be opened up that much wider.
I'm someone who loves animals dearly and would like to see each one live healthfully. I don't like reading about these particular kinds of stories because all creates deserve a healthy span of life. Petey has a story that's sad for those in the know about brain tumors and I think that he has been able to do his part, which is a great one, in learning about cancer. Hopefully the results that had come about thanks to him will be able to stand the test of time.
