Urine test could provide early detection of cancer in dogs

For a dog owner, learning that a pet has cancer can be devastating, and is more common than many would think.

“One in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer,” said John Robertson, research professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. “By the time they’re middle-aged, 50% of dogs will die of cancer after the age of 10 years.”

Robertson is part of a research team that has developed a new noninvasive rapid test using a dog’s urine that allows for potential early detection of cancer

“Usually, when a dog gets diagnosed with cancer, it’s usually quite advanced, with visible signs — we’re trying to detect cancer before these physical symptoms appear,” said fellow researcher Ryan Senger, associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering.

“Cancer is going to change overall metabolism inside the body, and it’s going to change the way the kidneys function,” which can be observed in the urine screening process, Senger said.

The researchers sampled urine and found through the display of molecules that cancerous subjects had a unique “fingerprint” that could be used to indicate the presence of cancer.

“We would like to be able to have dogs screened earlier, before cancer develops, throughout their lifetime, perhaps a once-a-year urine specimen,” said Robertson. “That tells us what the molecular fingerprint of the urine is, so if it changes and falls into that realm of fingerprints that define cancer, we’d be able to pay more attention to figure out what’s going on with the dog.”

Robertson said there are 12 breeds of purebred dogs that have a much higher incidence of cancer. “We’re going to focus to be able to institute early, regular screening that’s going to help pick up earlier when they’re developing cancer, in the hopes that we can get better outcomes.”

Unlike medical care, which is often paid for by insurance, “veterinary care is typically subsidized by the owner,” said Robertson. “So, we intend to make our tests readily available at a price point that everyone can afford to regularly have their dog examined and screened.”

Robertson said the urine screening is currently being researched, to determine whether it could be applied to humans.

The team’s findings were published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

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