Evaluating a Promising Cancer Drug

Dogs with high-grade mast cell tumors, acute leukemias and histiocytic sarcomas have short median survival times of only 16 to 170 days following diagnosis. New therapeutic approaches are desperately needed to improve outcomes for these canine patients. In a small-scale study, researchers found the plant-based drug Parthenolide (PTL) reduced progenitor cells (stem-like cells thought to be the origin for many cancers) in three leukemic dogs. In further studies, PTL showed promise in treating lymphoma/leukemia, mast cell tumor and histiocytic sarcoma cells in a laboratory environment. Building on these findings, researchers will determine which canine cancers may be best treated by PTL, alone and in combination with other standard-of-care chemotherapies. Findings will provide necessary preliminary data to inform future clinical trials evaluating PTL in dogs with aggressive cancers.