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Dear First name / friend,
 
Thank you so much for supporting research with your end-of-year contribution.
Your support allows teams of scientists and veterinary doctors to focus on dramatically improving cancer therapies for our beloved pets.  Your donations have made possible clinical studies for the EGFR/HER2 canine cancer vaccine and other promising immunotherapy treatments to prevent and reverse cancer metastasis.
We are immensely grateful for your generosity.♥️
Thank you for making a difference!
Surprises from 2024
Looking at 2024 accomplishments of CCA-supported projects and other studies, I was struck by many surprising findings.  While more data is still needed, researchers are starting to ask questions such as:
  • Is it possible to effectively treat cancer without surgery? (Many researchers think that using immunotherapy BEFORE surgery leads to better outcomes, but some researchers are beginning to question whether surgery is needed or helpful. Could noninvasive immune-modulating treatments replace surgery in the future?)
  • Immunotherapy efficacy is intimately linked to gut microbiome. Could probiotics help more patients respond to immunotherapy? (For years, the answer has been “no” based on human studies, but a CCA-funded gut microbiome study recently identified some important microorganism strains)
  • Is it possible to treat and reverse metastatic cancer for more patients? (Not just for a small fraction of patients but for the majority? Some researchers believe so, and we discussed advances in treating metastatic cancer at our last webinar)
  • Can dietary intervention such as fasting, ketogenic diet, omega-3 oil supplementation help dogs undergoing cancer treatment? (Yes, evidence is growing. But what does the data say?)
At our next webinar, we'll review some of the most surprising insights, both from CCA-supported projects and the broader cancer research community. Please sign up for the next webinar on January 22, 2025
Cancer Early Detection 
Cancer if found early, can lead to better outcomes. But when should we start screening our pups for cancer?   
A 2023 paper sponsored by PetDx describes findings from a study that looked at records of over 3000 dogs diagnosed with cancer. The median age of cancer diagnosis for mixed breed dogs was 9.5 years, compared to 8.0 years for pure-bred dogs. The size of dogs also made a difference: median ages for smaller (2.5-5kg) vs larger (>75kg) dogs were 11 years vs 5 years.
For golden retrievers like Taro pictured above, the median age of diagnosis was 8.0 years. (This year, Taro is turning 8 - the age when half of goldens in the study had cancer…😢  )
Check out this blog post that summarizes the study findings. The study includes the median age at diagnosis for nearly 50 different dog breeds and the recommended the age to start cancer screening ( The study recommends 2 years before median diagnosis age)
 
What's Canine Cancer Alliance?  For those of you not familiar with us, Canine Cancer Alliance is a nonprofit org started out of frustration with today's cancer treatments. CCA is led by a team of volunteers. Our main focus is to support different research projects, but we also emphasize education and sharing latest research insights..
 
Please email me at mmaeda@ccralliance.org if you're interested in working with us - as a volunteer or as a partner.
 
I'm so grateful to have you in our community!
 
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PS With a donation of $50 or more, or by becoming a monthly donor, you will receive our beautiful 2025 Love Calendar.  You can also request additional calendars for a donation of $35 each.  Please support research!

 
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Bellevue, WA 98009, USA