What to do if your pet dog receives a devastating diagnosis of cancer? One option is to enroll the pet in an NCI-supported clinical trial testing a new cancer treatment. Pet animals will receive treatment under the care of board-certified veterinary oncologists who share our goal of alleviating the suffering of companion animals with cancer
Comparative Oncology Program
Dedicated to improving cancer treatment through novel human tissue models and new treatment paradigms.
Comparative Oncology Program
About
Comparative oncology is the study of naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease. Spontaneous cancers in dogs and cats are an underused group of naturally occurring malignancies that share many features with human cancers such as osteosarcoma, prostate and breast cancers, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck carcinoma, and virally induced lymphomas (see Disease Information).
For more information about Comparative Oncology, click here.
Research
The COP complements translational research efforts through the characterization and use of relevant and naturally occurring cancer models that develop in pet animals.
Trial Sponsors
The Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC) is an active network of 20 academic comparative oncology centers, centrally managed by the Comparative Oncology Program, that functions to design and execute clinical trials in dogs with cancer to assess novel therapies.