The idea of using pathogens to eliminate neoplastic cells was introduced in the early 20' century with reports of remission in women with cervical carcinoma after receiving post-exposure rabies vaccinations (Dock, 1904). Since then, numerous scientific advances have been made in cancer biology, immunology, and pathogenesis of infectious diseases. In 2005, China approved a conditionally-replicative adenovirus (CRAd) for the treatment of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (Yu & Fang, 2007). This oncolytic viral therapy may be beneficial, but its efficacy likely can be improved. Several clinical cancer trials are ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of genetically altered viruses in humans. Many of these oncolytic viral therapies were successful at clearing xenografts in murine tumor models, but failed to significantly extend remission in humans. To improve the efficacy of new cancer therapeutics, it is imperative that scientists begin to utilize cancer models which recapitulate the tumor microenvironment and the immunotolerance known to occur during oncogenesis. Dogs and cats with spontaneously arising cancers are an underutilized population of patients that are excellent animal models of human cancers and simultaneously could benefit fromadjunctive treatment with an appropriate oncolytic virus.
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