Lymphoma is a blood cancer of dogs and cats (and people). It is one of the most common cancers in pets. It is aggressive and incurable.

I was therefore very pleased to read the following small feature in the October, 2008 NAVC Clinician’s Brief.

Bone Marrow Transplants at NCSU
North Carolina State University is the first university in the nation to perform peripheral blood stem cell transplantation–the same type of treatment available to humans–on dogs with lymphoma. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota donated 3 leukophoresis (white blood cell separating) machines to NCSU that are suitable for canine use without modification, since therapy protocols were originally developed using dogs.

This clinical advance in canine lymphoma treatment is far from the simple cure that all vets and animal lovers dream of. But it certainly is a step in the right direction.