A recent study has found a possible biological trigger mechanism for bone cancer in dogs. The researchers associated with this study fund a link between aggressive canine bone cancer and an increased expression of a certain tumor cell gene.

The study was done by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), and the findings may help oncologists find another target for cancer therapy in dogs. The researchers examined the cell lines generated from dogs suffering from a form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. The dogs underwent tumor removal surgery at the UW Veterinary Care hospital. This led to six cancer cell lines that were transplanted into mice. The researchers then assessed which lines did and did not develop tumors and other differences between them.

Timothy Stein, an assistant professor of oncology, said, “We found several hundred genes that expressed differently between the tumor-forming and non-tumor-forming cell lines.”

Speaking about gene expression and role of frizzled-6 in the process, Stein said, “It's exciting because it's kind of uncharted territory.” He added, “While we need more research to know for sure, it's possible that frizzled-6 expression may be inhibiting a particular signaling pathway and contributing to the formation of tumor-initiating cells.”

Stein also noted, “Now I'd like to see what this means clinically. Does frizzled-6 serve as a marker of a more aggressive disease? Will it help us improve the accuracy of our prognoses? These are the questions we want to answer.”

He is also looking to continue this research in human patients. Meanwhile, Lucas Rodrigues, the study’s lead author, is continuing the research in dogs.

Rodrigues said, “Now we want to make sure that frizzled-6 is truly what gives these cells the ability to form new tumors.”