Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers we see in dogs. The current standard treatment — a combination chemotherapy protocol called CHOP — has been used for decades and can put most dogs into remission. Unfortunately, the cancer usually comes back within 6 to 12 months, and once it returns, it becomes much harder to treat.

We also know that CHOP has real drawbacks for families and their dogs: It's a big commitment. Treatment represents a significant financial investment and requires frequent visits to the veterinary hospital over several months.

Side effects can happen. Most dogs tolerate chemotherapy well, but some experience side effects that affect their quality of life.

Results haven't improved much over time. Despite years of use, survival times with CHOP have stayed roughly the same.

Perhaps most importantly, every dog currently receives the same chemotherapy — even though we know lymphoma doesn't behave the same way in every patient.

This study takes a more personalized path. By looking closely at the unique biology of each dog's cancer — including the environment surrounding the tumor cells — we can better understand why some dogs respond well to treatment and others don't. We then use that information to guide a "Smart-Start" treatment strategy, matching each dog with the therapy most likely to help them from the very beginning.

Our goals are twofold:

1. Get better results from the treatments we already have by choosing the right approach for each individual dog.
2. Build the foundation for the next generation of lymphoma care — treatments that target the specific biology of the cancer and, over time, rely less on traditional chemotherapy.

We hope this is a step toward smarter, more individualized cancer care for dogs — with the hope of longer, healthier remissions and a gentler treatment experience along the way.

Eligibility: Dogs seen by the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) who have been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, have had no prior treatment other than prednisolone, and are willing to pursue standard of care chemotherapy are eligible.

Compensation: There are no extra costs to you if your dog participates in the study. You will be charged our usual fees for any tests or procedures for your dog’s care except for those that are done specifically for the study. There will be a 10% discount on anything that isn’t covered on study related visits. The 10% hospital discount will be given on all standard of care chemotherapy visits. Further, as an incentive for enrollment, the study will provide $1000 towards the cost of chemotherapy for your dog.

Owner Responsibilities: Your commitments and responsibilities are: bringing your dog to Cornell oncology service for appointments, during which samples (blood, fine needle aspirate) will be taken for diagnostic purposes and an extra volume will be taken for the study. Dogs will be assigned the pre-treatment drug based on the type of tumor. There is no placebo in this study. The pre-treatment drug is either an oral tablet given four times over a 14-day window or an injection given on five consecutive days at the CUHA.

You will then be asked to come back for routine CHOP chemotherapy visits and we will ask to collect one more set of blood samples when your dog completes CHOP.

Principal Investigator: Jessica Hayward, PhD, (CVM Biobank) Cheryl Balkman, DVM, DACVIM, (CUHA Oncology) Skylar Sylvester, DVM, DACVIM (CUHA Oncology), Nahuel Zamponi (NYU), Jan Krumsiek (Weill Cornell Medicine)

Contact/Schedule an Appointment: If you have a dog you think may be eligible please call either the oncology service or the clinical trials coordinator at 607.253.3060, or email vet-research@cornell.edu

Sponsor: This clinical trial is sponsored by Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research Inc.