January 10, 2017

Monjazeb and KentUC Davis radiation oncologists Arta Monjazeb, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Kent, D.V.M., M.A.S., visit with patient Santino Pinkham in the linear accelerator room of the university’s Center for Companion Animal Health.

Several types of cancer affect both people and dogs, therefore the latter make excellent models for studying cancer development and treatment in humans. Michael Kent, of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, recently collaborated with Arta Monjazeb, of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center's Department of Radiation Oncology, to examine use of a novel therapy in treating advanced metastatic disease in dogs. By combining conventional radiation and immune therapies for the first time in a canine clinical trial, they were able to improve treatment effectiveness and extend the lives of some animals while maintaining quality of life. The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, is one of several ongoing efforts at UC Davis to investigate cancer in pets for the benefit of both animals and humans.