Breast cancer is one of the most common tumors not only in humans, but also in dogs. The choice of treatment is also similar: surgical resection and metastatic lymph node removal. In some cases, lymph node mapping can be performed via pre-operative CT examination, however, an intraoperative SLN identification method has yet to be established in veterinary medicine.
In his study, Takayuki Nakagawa – Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of the University of Tokyo – investigated the usefulness of SLN detection in canine malignant tumors using a magnetic probe, and the method showed an excellent detection rate – equivalent to that of the radioisotope & dye method – suggesting that it may be feasible in various canine solid cancers, especially in head or neck tumors such as oral melanomas and thyroid tumors.
Prof. Nakagawa’s research also served as a significant preclinical study, which proved the viability of the magnetic method in vivo, and its extended relevance for human carcinomas other than breast cancer.
Moreover, by diverting the results of this veterinary clinical trial to preclinical studies for human medicine, the need for laboratory animals can be reduced, contributing to animal welfare.