Veterinary Highlights: Better Dog Cancer Detection?

One of the troubles with cancer in dogs is that when you see the signs, it's typically already quite advanced. Like any other disease, the sooner you identify and address the problem, the better for the outcome.

Many serious diseases can be detected early during regular wellness exams and routine testing. When you suspect a problem, urinalysis or blood testing will often tell you what you're looking at. With cancer, not so much.

We are not at the point when we can run some blood work and see whether there is cancer brewing.

Current cancer screening test technologies still have a long way to go.

Every once in a while, though, it seems we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

One of the latest and greatest is the VDI-TKcanine+ cancer test for dogs.

This test can be helpful when cancer is suspected, ant to monitor the treatment once cancer is confirmed. The two available tests, VDI-TKcanine+ and INCase, are looking for specific biomarkers that are elevated in dogs with cancer.

It seems to be one of the better tests out there.

At this time, these tests have been validated for dogs with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma. It is important to remember, that such tests can produce false positives and false negatives, which can further cloud the issue. The more sensitive the test, the more false positives you can get.

What is important, though, is that the researchers are paying attention to it and we might be closer than ever to detecting dog cancer in early stages.

Source article:
The Facts About Dog Cancer Screening Tests