Genetics of Cancer

Status –
Open

Funding
The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and by the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

Study Goals –
The goal of these studies is to improve our understanding of how heritable traits influence cancer risk, progression, and response to therapy. If your dog is newly diagnosed with lymphoma, leukemia, osteosarcoma, or hemangiosarcoma, you and your dog may be eligible to participate in these studies. Please check the eligibility criteria below.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

PLEASE GO HERE TO SEE A LIST OF SAMPLES NEEDED!

The kinds of samples we need most come from affected, untreated dogs and include a fresh tumor biopsy (about the size of a blueberry) and 5-10 ml of fresh blood, with enough notification for us to overnight a sample collection kit to the veterinarian that will perform the biopsy. We have specific transport media (for lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma tumor samples) which we include in the kits we send. These media help keep biopsy samples in the best possible condition until they arrive at our lab for processing. A second tumor biopsy sample (again, about blueberry size, or smaller) preserved in a jar of 10% formalin (also included in our kit) will be submitted to our histopathology lab. (The report from this sample will be forwarded to the dog’s attending vet, but it should not be considered a substitute for the report from the vet’s own histopathology lab.)

Because samples received in our kits are our highest priority and need to be overnighted and cold, we will pay the cost of shipping them. We can receive samples at the lab Tuesday through Friday, but we ask for 24 hours’ advance notice that an overnight sample is coming so that we can have the personnel on hand to process it. We can accommodate emergency situations, where an untreated dog is on the surgery table and the owner is willing to contribute tumor and blood samples but the vet is without our kit. In these cases, the vet should get in touch with Mitzi Lewellen (lewel001@umn.edu or 612-626-6890) at the Modiano Lab for instructions on sample submission.

Blood only samples, 5-10 ml in EDTA purple top tubes, are always welcome for our susceptibility mapping studies. These studies require blood samples from dogs with pedigrees and a definitive diagnosis of one of the cancers we are researching. To a somewhat lesser extent, we can use blood samples from healthy pedigreed dogs that are relatives of the affected dogs in our studies. We can even accept blood samples from affected dogs that are being treated by chemotherapy, if the blood draw can be scheduled to occur at the longest interval between treatments.

Although we consider all samples important and useful, blood without tumor samples, even in untreated dogs, is of somewhat lower priority than blood with tumor samples. Mostly these samples will go to mapping studies being done by our collaborators, which may have additional criteria for inclusion. We will nevertheless bank samples we receive even if they are currently ineligible (for example, when they are excluded because of age or breed), as they may one day be vital for future research efforts. Blood, unlike tumor, is quite stable at room temperature for up to one week in EDTA purple top tubes and can be mailed, USPS.

The first step to any sample submission is to contact Mitzi (lewel001@umn.edu or 612-626-6890) at the Modiano Lab. She coordinates sample submissions and will provide you with forms and shipping information, and, if appropriate, provide your vet with a sample collection kit.

Financial incentive –
At this time, there is no financial incentive to participate in these studies. In some cases, assistance may be available to cover costs to ship samples and for routine pathology tests, but in other cases, the family may need to be responsible for these costs.

If your dog does not yet have a verified diagnosis, you plan to seek treatment, and are willing to contribute tumor samples, please contact Mitzi at lewel001@umn.edu or email us at lab@modianolab.org for additional information.

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