Report from Malcolm Brearley, Chairman of Animal Cancer Trust

Cambridge hosts European veterinary cancer meeting

Ninety eight delegates representing 18 countries from all corners of Europe, Israel, Iran and the USA came together at the end of March for the European Society of Veterinary Oncology Spring meeting held at Queens’ College, Cambridge.

Saturday was a hectic day with 17 ‘young oncologists’ competing with their abstracts for the ESVONC Junior Research Award. This Award is sponsored by Pfizer to enable the winner to attend and present their work at the Veterinary Cancer Society meeting in the USA. Subjects ranged from basic sciences (including telomerase gene therapy, heat shock proteins in mast cell tumours, adhesion factor expression by tumour associated fibroblasts) to clinical subjects (radiation for feline oral SCC, chemotherapy for feline vaccine-associated sarcoma, feline nasal lymphoma and feline myeloma). The quality of the presentation was excellent giving the judges a hard task but congratulations go to Maja Arendt from Glasgow Veterinary School with her winning abstract ‘Telomerase Targeted Cancer Gene Therapy in Canines’.

Keynote speaker Prof Bob Rees from University of Nottingham Trent (sponsored by the Animal Cancer Trust) gave a paper ‘The identification of human tumour antigens: current status and future developments’. In an excellent overview of biomarkers, Prof Rees discussed their role as indicators of the physiological state of a cell – and especially with regards to pre-clinical identification of cancer. He then moved on to discuss these specific cancer biomarkers as targets for directed therapy. Whilst there are huge technical hurdles, the potential for identification and therapy based on cancer specific molecules is equally huge!

For the conference dinner, delegates were treated to a ‘traditional’ Formal Hall at Queens’ College starting with a Latin grace and finishing with the loyal toast before port and speeches. Reverend Dr Jonathan Holmes (Dean of Chapel) briefly recalled his early career at Cambridge Veterinary School before enthralling the delegates with a gallop through the 800 years of the University of Cambridge and the contribution of Queens’ to science and politics! A good evening was had by all.

Sunday was an early start with another ten abstracts from members. Topics included a new formulation of paclitaxel, correlation of TopBP1 with canine mammary tumour grade, cancer stem cells in canine osteosarcoma, chemotherapy for feline lymphoma, hemi-pelvectomy in dogs and canine apoptosis-associated molecules. The abstracts for both days will be available in a future edition of the Veterinary and Comparative Oncology Journal

The second keynote speaker was Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Tim Musgrave from the Walsall Manor Hospital (sponsored by Vetoquinol Ltd) who presented a paper ‘Colorectal carcinoma in humans’. All aspects of this disease were covered but the main theme was how the use of stapling devices has dramatically improved the surgical options with reduced morbidity. Whilst not a common cancer in dogs Paolo Buracco from the Turin Veterinary School presented a series of ten they had treated with some impressive resections!

The meeting closed at mid-day giving visitors time for a quick tour of Cambridge before going home for a rest! The next meeting will be at ECVIM congress in Budapest, September 2007. The next Spring Meeting (and AGM) will be in Copenhagen (February 2008) in conjunction with the Veterinary Cancer Society and will celebrate ESVONC’s 15th birthday – should be a good party!!

Thanks go to the sponsors (Vetoquinol, Animal Cancer Trust, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Pfizer) whose support helped make conference so successful, to Queens’ College for the beautiful environment and to the delegates without whom there would have been no conference!

You can contact us at

Animal Cancer Trust
5 Flag Business Exchange, Vicarage Farm Road, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 5TX
08701 644225
www.animalcancertrust.org.uk
info@animalcancertrust.org.uk

Registered charity no. 1094779 Animal Cancer Trust is a Registered company limited by guarantee in England & Wales no. 04434009. The registered address of the company is Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 9AA. Please use address above for correspondence.