By Dr. Johnathan Pierce
CANCER SCREENING BLOOD TESTS
Over the past couple of years veterinary medicine has been fortunate to finally see the advent of cancer screening blood tests. OncoK9 by PetDX was the first of these, which screened for eight of the most common cancers that we see in dogs. Unfortunately, the company has recently stopped accepting samples and rumor has it that they will be closing their doors.
Luckily, Volition is a company that has been in the human health care diagnostics business for years and has applied their Nucleosomic technology to help veterinarians detect cancer in our pets. Nucleosomics is basically the isolation and quantification of nucleosomes in the blood. Nucleosomes are particles of DNA wrapped in protein that are released into the blood when there is cell turnover or death. With cancer the cells divide and expire much more rapidly than in normal calls and subsequently release a large amount of nucleosomes. Volition created the Nu.Q test in order to measure the amount of nucleosomes which helps us determine the risk of cancer, helping us with early detection.
Nu.Q is recommended as a yearly test in dogs over the age of seven years for most dogs, however they do recommend testing every six months for breeds that may be a higher risk such as: Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Welsh Corgis, Flat Coated Retrievers, etc. There are three levels of risk, depending on the amount of circulating nucleosomes.
It is recommended to pair this test with annual comprehensive bloodwork as this test is not specific to cancer. Diseases that cause high levels of inflammation such as sepsis can cause false positives.
Nu.Q is run using a small amount of whole blood that is then spun to separate the plasma where the nucleosomes are found, making this a very easy, non-invasive test to run. The test is now available through veterinary reference labs and as an in-house lab test for vets, making this as easy to run as annual lab work. If your pet fits the criteria outlined above, consider screening your canine companion with the Nu.Q test.
Island Life Animal Hospital
Dr. Danielle Gallo & Dr. Johnathan Pierce
5901 Sun Blvd., Suite 107, Saint Petersburg, FL 33715
727-289-3776 • islandlifeanimalhospital.vet Island Life Animal Hospital
Dr. Danielle Gallo & Dr. Johnathan Pierce
5901 Sun Blvd., Suite 107, Saint Petersburg, FL 33715
727-289-3776 • islandlifeanimalhospital.vet