Research on Cancer in Cats Could Also Help People

Cats have lived alongside people for thousands of years. These lively, inquisitive, and aloof mammals offer companionship, comfort, and entertainment. Now, scientists are uncovering another way feline pets may be able to improve lives. 

A study, published in Science, looked at the genes of almost 500 cats across five countries and three continents. The research uncovered surprising links between cancer-causing genes in humans and cats, suggesting that research in one species may provide a starting point for cancer treatments in the other species.

Cat Research
The Washington Post reported that although humans share more genetic code with cats than they do with dogs, cows, or mice, past research tended to model cancer in dogs. Dogs made ideal research subjects because cancer progresses faster in canines than in humans, so scientists could receive clinical trial results faster.

Now, scientists are learning that cats can also be ideal subjects for studying human cancer disease and treatment. Both pet dogs and housecats share the same air and water as their human owners, meaning they may be exposed to the same environmental carcinogens as people are.

The FBXW7 Gene
This new study evidences the link between human and feline DNA and cancer. Researchers collected tissue samples from the tumors of nearly 500 domesticated cats across Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the UK.

These samples were screened to find which genes were linked to feline tumors. Surprisingly, researchers found that similar genes were involved in cancer of the blood, bones, lungs, skin, digestive tract, nervous system, and mammary glands of both cats and humans. 

In particular, researchers observed that the FBXW7, was often mutated in feline mammary tumors (the third most-common cat cancer). The same gene is associated with difficult-to-treat breast cancers in humans.

This genetic link opens the door for using human cancer research to uncover potential therapies for cat malignancies and for using cat cancers to model treatments for human cancer, researcher Louise van der Weyden explained to the Washington Post. “It’s a unique opportunity to help two species in one go,” she said.

Treating Cat Cancer
Moreover, the study already uncovered one way that human cancer research may benefit pets, Science Daily noted. Researchers found that when treating tumor tissue, certain human chemotherapy drugs seemed to be effective against cancers linked to the FBXW7 gene. Although the research is preliminary, having only been observed in tissue samples, it points to potential research avenues for treating both feline and human disease. 

Van der Weyden said that these findings could even help treat dogs with cancer in the future as well. “We can now begin to take the next steps forward towards precision feline oncology,” she told Science Daily, “to catch up with the diagnostic and therapeutic options that are available for dogs with cancer, and ultimately one day, humans.”

For years, scientists knew relatively little about the progression and treatment of cancer in cats. This new research provides one of the most detailed maps of feline cancer genes and offers a hope for future treatments. Researchers hope the work will improve care for cats, advance cancer research in humans, and may even lead to better treatments for dogs.