DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A new type of radiation therapy is showing promise in treating cancer in pets, and developers hope, one day, it will help people as well.
Pam Dawson’s dog Moose was part lap dog, part guard dog, and a very important part of her family.
“He liked sleeping in the bed with us, snuggling up,” Dawson recalled.
About six years ago, when a lump on Moose’s paw turned out to be cancerous, Dawson came across a clinical study for a treatment called IsoPet, a radioactive gel that can be injected directly into a tumor.
Mike Korenko is the president and CEO of Vivos Inc. the company that developed IsoPet. He explained that the gel is designed to stay contained within a tumor with little damage to surrounding cells.
“It’s just one therapy. Go home the same day, and that’s it,” he said.
The treatment targets solid tumors that have not spread. The earlier a patient can be treated, the better.
“For the animals we treated, it’s been very, very successful,” said Korenko.
Dawson said it worked for Moose. The family drove 14 hours from Durham to the University of Missouri for the study. Because he was one of the early patients, she didn’t know what to expect, in terms of side effects.
“About the third week, we noticed a little tissue burn, a little irritation that lasted about three days, and then it started healing,” she recalled.
For the next several years, Moose got back to enjoying life.
“He was fine for over 5 years. The last year he’s had several scans, ultrasound scans of his internal organs. No tumors anywhere related to this, and I’d say it was a success,” Dawson said.
Moose was 16, which is old for a dog, when he died of an unrelated illness earlier this year. Dawson credits the treatment for giving him extra time and a good quality of life.
The treatment is now available for cats, dogs, and horses at a handful of veterinary centers around the U.S.
Korenko believes the same techology could one day treat tumors in people. He explained that the company is working with the FDA and hopes to get authorization for human trials within the next year or so. The goal is to initially test Radiogel, the name for the human version, on thyroid tumors.
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“We’ve learned quite a bit from treating animals that are directly applicable to a whole range of human tumors,” he said.
As she remembers Moose, Dawson is grateful her dog got to participate in the study and provide valuable information to researchers looking for new ways to fight cancer.
To find out more about IsoPet and Radiogel, click here.
