Immunotherapy is the new holy grail of cancer treatment – using the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease.
But this revolutionary therapy has had little impact on solid tumours like sarcoma, the third most common cancer in children. Now, a world-first trial at The Kids Research Institute Australia could change that – all with the help of man’s best friend.
The busy pre-surgery area of Perth Veterinary Specialists in Osborne Park is perhaps the last place you’d expect to be ground zero for a clinical trial that could save the lives of thousands of kids around the world.
This is where three-year-old bulldog, Maggie, is waiting to go under the knife to remove a small but potentially deadly sarcoma tumour on her back and earn herself a place in medical research history.
Maggie is one of a handful of dogs selected to trial a cutting-edge new treatment for sarcoma. A polymer-filled gel, loaded with immunotherapy drugs, will be applied inside the wound when the skilled vet surgeon removes her tumour. She’ll then be stitched up and sent home, while the gel kicks her canine immune system into action.
This clinical trial in Perth dogs is the brainchild of Associate Professor Joost Lesterhuis, Head of the The Kids Cancer Centre.
“Surprisingly, sarcoma in dogs presents similarly to sarcoma in humans. The treatment is much the same – surgery to remove the tumour. In kids, this is followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy,” Associate Professor Lesterhuis said.
“But it’s not a perfect treatment. The cancer can come back in the same spot. Invisible cancer cells make their way into the surrounding tissue, so it’s impossible for a surgeon to know if they’ve got all the cancer.”
The immunotherapy gel is designed to mop up those remaining cancer cells by activating the body’s own immune system and drawing immune cells to the site of the cancer.
Associate Professor Lesterhuis said the gel, developed with the help of chemists at The University of Western Australia, could revolutionise the way solid tumours were treated.
“This could not only improve survival rates, but it could also allow doctors to reduce the amount of chemotherapy and radiotherapy they need to give to kids after surgery,” he said.
“These are toxic treatments and we often see kids developing secondary cancers as a result.” Six months on from her surgery, bulldog Maggie has made a full recovery and there are no signs her cancer has returned.
The research team hopes this treatment will be available to treat children with sarcoma within the next decade.