Scientists say cats might hold secret to fighting human cancer

Scientists have unveiled a promising breakthrough in treating human cancer on the grounds of targeted therapy to treat fatal head and neck cancers in cats.

The recent study could be the key to developing similar treatments in humans. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is potentially life threatening and hard to treat cancer in both humans and cats. 

During the recent study, scientists conducted experiments on 20 cats with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The research suggests that companion animals could be effective models than mice to perform cancer drug trials.

The findings suggest that over a third of the cats who were given the first-of-its-kind drug had their disease controlled with minimal side effects, demonstrating the efficacy of the drug against HNSCC and paving the way for treating human cancer.

The drug is designed to target the molecule STAT3, which controls the expression of some genes.

Cancers like HNSCC are notoriously deadly in cats and most animals, leading to their deaths within 2 to 3 months of diagnosis.

Daniel Johnson of the University of California, San Francisco, the co-author of the study said, “There are two major findings from this study. Firstly, it shows that it’s possible to target molecules behind gene expression called transcription factors that are behind the rise of cancer.”

“This is something that has been notoriously difficult in the past. Also, it demonstrated that pets with cancer can be a good representation of human disease and that clinical trials in pets may yield more reliable results than tests in mouse models,” Dr Johnson adds.

In this study, researchers found the efficacy of drug molecules by inhibiting the activity of STAT3 and enhancing the levels of PD-1, a protein that is associated with an immune response to cancer.

According to Jennifer Grandis, another co-author, “This study is a great example of how we can think more carefully about spending our very limited resources on studies in lab mice that are not even the best models of human cancers.”