The staff at Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center continuously strives  to find the most effective cures/treatments for your pet's health needs.

Studies Currently Available at Southwest Veterinary Oncology

1.  Funded Clinical trial for Dogs with Squamous Cell Carcinoma
   1. Funded following initial diagnosis and staging
   2. All dogs receive the active drug, a novel chemotherapeutic agent
   3. Four treatments, 3 weeks apart
   4. Must have measurable disease of at least 20 mm
   5. Adequate liver and kidney function, normal neutrophil and platelet counts
   6. NSAIDs and corticosteroids okay as long as started at least two weeks prior to entry into the study
   7. Available at the Tucson location
2. Funded Clinical Trial for Dogs with Melanoma, Osteosarcoma, Soft Tissue Sarcoma or Squamous Cell Carcinoma
   1. Treatment with a novel biologic (modified anaerobic bacteria)
   2. All dogs receive active product and must be monitored closely with rechecks at 2,4,7 and 14 days, then at 1 and 2 months.
   3. Must have at least one palpable lesion measuring > 1 cm but < 8 cm
   4. Must be in a location amenable to surgical resection, which the study will pay for if indicated
   5. Must not be systemically ill
   6. Available at both the Gilbert and Tucson locations
3. Funded Project for Dogs with Osteosarcoma
   1. Samples collected at the time of amputation for genomic profiling
   2. Cannot have received any prior therapy except NSAID’s
   3. Study contributes $500 toward the cost of amputation
   4. Special interest in greyhounds
   5. Patients can proceed to enter another study after surgery
   6. Available at the Tucson location
4. Partially funded study for Dogs with Osteosarcoma
   1. After standard amputation and chemotherapy, dogs are randomized into one of two anti-angiogenic chemotherapy protocols
   2. Study covers the cost of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor in this trial and the majority of the monitoring costs
   3. Available at the Tucson location
5. Canine Cancer Diagnostics Sampling Program
   1. Requires just a small blood sample
   2. Mast cell tumors, melanomas, lymphomas, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinomas, GI cancers, transitional cell carcinomas, breast or ovarian cancer
   3. Available at the Tucson location
   4. Performed on a volunteer basis
6. Funded study for Canine Nasal Carcinomas
   1. Looking at the impact of adding a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) as a radiation sensitizing agent to standard radiation therapy and documenting primary activity of the TKI alone.
   2. Owners remain responsible for the diagnostic imaging and biopsy samples required to achieve a diagnosis.  If owners opt to pursue standard radiation therapy, they remain responsible for those costs as well.
   3. Owners have the choice of two categories based on their preference: tyrosine kinase inhibitor alone, or standard radiation therapy plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor
   4. The costs of the drug and the monitoring are covered by the study, including another CT scan 3 months after therapy.
   5. Available at both the Tucson and Gilbert site
7. Partially funded study for Feline Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
   1. Looking at the impact of adding a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) as a radiation sensitizing agent to standard radiation therapy and documenting primary activity of the TKI alone.
   2. Owners have the option of proceeding into a tyrosine kinase inhibitor alone arm, or radiation therapy plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor
   3. The study covers only the cost of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor
   4. Available at both the Tucson and Gilbert locations
8. Pulse Toceranib plus Lomustine for the Treatment of Unresectable Canine Mast Cell Tumors
   1. Looking at the impact of adding a tyrosine kinase inhibitor as a chemosensitizer
   2. Owners are responsible for the costs associated with intial staging to insure eligibility, costs of re-staging if necessary and recheck fees at each visit.
   3. The study will cover the cost of the drugs administered and the laboratory monitoring required.
   4. Available at the Tucson location
9. Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of CASAD for the Prevention of Diarrhea Associated with Doxorubicin Chemotherapy in Dogs with Cancer
   1. Animals receiving doxorubicin at two-week intervals for their malignancy will be randomized 1:1 into active CASAD:Calcium Carbonate placebo
   2. The study is double-blinded; neither the clinician nor pet owner know which arm the patient is randomized into.
   3. The owners are asked to keep a daily on-line diary.  This can also be done on paper for us to enter for them.
   4. The study pays for the doxorubicin administered
   5. Available at the Tucson location
10. MAX-1/Doxorubicin Combination Therapy for Doxorubicin Resistant Lymphoma in Dogs
    1. Study covers the cost of the doxorubicin drug costs and MAX-1
    2. The owner remains responsible for visits, laboratory work and administration costs
    3. Available at the Tucson office
11. Tissue fixation study – multiple canine and feline tumors
    1. Pathology samples can be distorted following surgical removal and placement into formalin, making the assessment of architecture and margins difficult
    2. With the owner’s permission we will process ½ of pathologic specimens in formalin as the standard of care, and the other ½ will be fixed in an experimental gel prior to placing it into formalin.  The two samples will be compared.
    3. Available at the Tucson office
12. Funded Clinical Trial for Dogs with Intermediate and High Grade Soft Tissue Sarcomas
    1. Evaluating a novel form of antiangiogenic therapy in dogs with measurable soft tissue sarcoma
    2. Measurable soft tissue sarcoma at least 1 cm in diameter
    3. Corticosteroids and NSAID’s must be discontinued for 7 and 14 days respectively prior to enrollment
    4. Costs associated with the study drug, staging and  diagnostic tests, follow-up examinations, and any side effects attributable to the drug will be covered by the study
    5. This study is currently closed for meta-analysis.  We will post notification when it opens again.

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Studies Available at the Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center

1. Efficacy and safety of Antivipmyn in Feline Rattlesnake Bite Patients
   1. Study pays for the antivenom for these patients provided they have been envenomated within the last six hours.
   2. Previously available antivenom products have been associated with serious, sometimes fatal anaphylaxis reactions.  The study looks to demonstrate that this product will be well tolerated by the feline patients, as well as be effective.
   3. Antivipmyn is provided by bioVeteria.
2. Comparison of Serum Venom Levels in Treated and Untreated Canine Rattlesnake Bite Patients
   1. The benefits associated with antivenom administration is hypothesized to correlate with its ability to neutralize the amount of unbound venom circulating in the patient.
   2. Data documenting these findings is relatively non-existent in our canine patients.
   3. Blood samples are collected at five different time periods during the first 24 hours following evenomation.
   4. The study contributes $25 toward the cost of treatment with each blood sample collected, in both treated and untreated patients.
   5. Currently, only untreated dogs are eligible for this study (as of 9/12/2011)
3. Wound Healing Gel for Canine Patients with Lacerations that Must Heal by Secondary Intention
   1. Patients are randomized into an active gel and placebo group.
   2. The study will contribute up to $2000 toward the cost of bandage changes and supportive care
4. Golden or Labrador Retrievers with Hip Dysplasia
   1. Saliva and buccal (cheek) swabs are collected to assess the DNA in these patients.
   2. Any purebred Golden or Labrador Retriever with hip dysplasia either confirmed as “severe” by radiographic examination, or having undergone a prior TPO, THR or FHO surgery for hip dysplasia
   3. This is a voluntary study for pet owners