Key Points
- Larger dogs (44 pounds or more) with liver cancer are needed for a new clinical trial at Virginia Tech.
- Participants will undergo histotripsy treatment before standard surgical tumor resection.
A team at Virginia Tech is now recruiting medium and large dogs for a clinical trial exploring focused ultrasound histotripsy for liver tumors.
Histotripsy is an emerging technique that uses focused ultrasound to mechanically destroy tissue without the need for heat, radiation, or incisions. It is FDA cleared for use in humans with liver tumors, and the research team hopes to adapt these advances for veterinary patients.
In this study, led by surgical oncologist Joanne Tuohy, DVM, PhD, DACVS–Small Animal, dogs with liver cancer who are already scheduled for standard surgical tumor resection will first undergo histotripsy treatment. This design allows researchers to examine tumor tissue after treatment to better understand both the ablative and possible immune-activating effects of histotripsy. Blood samples taken before and after treatment will be analyzed to assess changes in immune cell populations.
Participating dogs will undergo a session of histotripsy delivered through the skin under anesthesia. Dogs are anticipated to be discharged to their family the same day. One week later, participants will undergo the planned surgical resection.
To date, two of the five dogs have been treated in the trial.
“We are excited to develop histotripsy for dogs with liver cancer,” said Dr. Tuohy. “This initial study, where we treat part of the tumor with histotripsy followed by standard surgical removal of the tumor, allows us to answer basic research questions. For example, it is important to establish whether histotripsy can effectively destroy liver cancer cells in dogs. We aim for this work to eventually lead to our overall goal of developing histotripsy as a noninvasive treatment for liver cancer in dogs.”
Dogs must weigh more than 44 pounds to participate in the clinical trial. The study covers all costs related to the histotripsy treatment and contributes up to $2,000 toward the cost of the liver tumor surgery performed at Virginia Tech. Owners are responsible for costs of the initial screening visit and for costs related to any complications.
This research is being funded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.
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