Grant Amount: $12,925.46

Dr. Deborah Knapp, DVM, Purdue University

June 1, 2005 - February 28, 2006

Breed(s): -All Dogs

Disease(s): Urinary Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Approximately 30,000 pet dogs develop urinary bladder cancer (invasive transitional cell carcinoma, TCC), yearly in the United States. Scottish Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs, West Highland White Terriers, Wire Hair Fox Terriers, and Beagles are at an increased risk for developing TCC. TCC is lethal in the vast majority of dogs. Our long range goal is to improve the outlook for dogs with TCC. Our research team is developing strategies to attack the disease on several fronts including prevention, early detection, and treatment of existing disease. The objective of this application is to determine the safety of a promising combination therapy approach for TCC, specifically combining cisplatin with a cox-2 inhibitor. Our central hypothesis is that cisplatin/cox-2 inhibitor treatment will be no more toxic to the kidneys than cisplatin alone. The specific aim is to determine the extent to which selective cox-1 inhibitors, selective cox-2 inhibitors, or nonselective cox inhibitors alter the effects of cisplatin on kidney morphology and function in rats. The rationale for the proposed work is that once the safety of cisplatin/cox-2 inhibitor treatment is established in rats, then this treatment approach can be rapidly applied to pet dogs with TCC. This will lead to much improved treatment, and reduced morbidity and mortality associated with TCC in pet dogs.