Hemangiosarcoma is the most common splenic cancer diagnosed in dogs. The standard of care treatment is splenectomy (surgery) followed by doxorubicin chemotherapy, but long-term survival remains poor. We are continuously looking for additional well-tolerated treatments that may prolong survival for dogs with this disease.

Goals: Temozolomide is an oral chemotherapy drug that is well-tolerated in dogs and used to treat a variety of other cancers in dogs and people. The results of this study will allow us to determine if dogs that receive temozolomide and doxorubicin do better than dogs that just receive doxorubicin alone.

Eligibility: Your dog must have a splenic hemangiosarcoma that has been surgically removed either at a local veterinarian or at the CUHA. The diagnosis must have been confirmed with histopathology.

Compensation: If your dog qualifies for the study and you agree to participate, a $1000 credit will be applied to your bill to help pay for the initial staging costs. Additionally, a $50 credit will be applied to your bill at each visit for chemotherapy administration. The study drug (temozolomide) will be provided to you at no cost to you. A 10% hospital discount will be applied to all study-related visits. All other costs are your responsibility as outlined by the project outline.

Owner Responsibilities: You must administer study medications as directed and you must return your dog to the CUHA for follow-up appontments according to a specific timeline that will be provided to you.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Cheryl Balkman, DVM, DACVIM

Contact/Schedule an Appointment: Please call the clinical trials coordinator at 607.253.3060, or email vet-research@cornell.edu