Cancer detection in clinical practice and using blood-based liquid biopsy - A retrospective audit of over 350 dogs

Sep 28, 2026

Guidelines-driven screening protocols for early cancer detection in dogs remain limited, and cancer is commonly diagnosed at advanced stages. A retrospective review evaluated how cancer is typically detected and whether adding a next-generation sequencing-based, blood-derived “liquid biopsy” test to a wellness visit could improve detection. In 359 dogs with confirmed cancer, wellness and incidental findings were uncommon, while liquid biopsy identified disease in 54.7%, including early, preclinical, and advanced cases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and objectives

Methods and sequencing approach

Results

Conclusions and clinical importance

Introduction

Early detection concepts in dogs

Current standard of care and emergence of liquid biopsy

DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16616 STA NDA RD A RTICL E Cancer detection in clinical practice and using blood-based liquid biopsy: A retrospective audit of over 350 dogs Andi Flory 1 | Lisa McLennan 1 | Betsy Peet 1 | Marissa Kroll 1 | Deirdre Stuart 2 | Devon Brown 3 | Kathy Stuebner 4 | Brenda Phillips 5 | Brenda L. Coomber 6 | J. Paul Woods 7 | Mairin Miller 8 | Chelsea D. Tripp 3 | Amber Wolf-Ringwall 9 | Kristina M. Kruglyak 1 | Angela L. McCleary-Wheeler 1 | Ashley Phelps-Dunn 1 | Lilian K. Wong 1 | Chelsea D. Warren 1 | Gina Brandstetter 1 | Michelle C. Rosentel 1 | Lauren R. DiMarzio 1 | Allison L. O'Kell 1 | Todd A. Cohen 1 | Daniel S. Grosu 1 | Jason Chibuk 1 | Dana W. Y. Tsui 1 | Ilya Chorny 1 | Jill M. Rafalko 1 1PetDx, Inc, La Jolla, California, USA 2Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada 3Bridge Animal Referral Center, Edmonds, Washington, USA 4Clinical Investigation Center, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA 5Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego, San Diego, California, USA 6Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada 7Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation at the Mona Campbell Centre for Animal Cancer, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada 8Veterinary Specialty Hospital of North County, San Marcos, California, USA 9Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA Correspondence Jill M. Rafalko, PetDx, Inc, 9310 Athena Circle, Suite 230, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Email: [jrafalko@petdx.com](jrafalko@petdx.com) Funding information PetDx Abstract Background: Guidelines-driven screening protocols for early cancer detection in dogs are lacking, and cancer often is detected at advanced stages. Hypothesis/Objectives: To examine how cancer typically is detected in dogs and whether the addition of a next-generation sequencing-based “liquid biopsy” test to a wellness visit has the potential to enhance cancer detection. Animals: Client-owned dogs with definitive cancer diagnoses enrolled in a clinical validation study for a novel blood-based multicancer early detection test. Methods: Retrospective medical record review was performed to establish the history and presenting complaint that ultimately led to a definitive cancer diagnosis. Blood samples were subjected to DNA extraction, library preparation, and nextgeneration sequencing. Sequencing data were analyzed using an internally developed Abbreviations: CANDiD, CANcer Detection in Dogs; CLASSiC, Cancer Lifetime Assessment Screening Study in Canines; CSO, Cancel Signal Origin; IACUC, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; MCED, multicancer early detection; NGS, next-generation sequencing. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2023 PetDx, Inc and The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. bioinformatics pipeline to detect genomic alterations associated with the presence of cancer. Results: In an unselected cohort of 359 cancer-diagnosed dogs, 4% of cases were detected during a wellness visit, 8% were detected incidentally, and 88% were detected after the owner reported clinical signs suggestive of cancer. Liquid biopsy detected disease in 54.7%(95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5%-59.8%) of patients, including 32% of dogs with early-stage cancer, 48% of preclinical dogs, and 84% of dogs with advanced-stage disease. Conclusions/Clinical Importance: Most cases of cancer were diagnosed after the onset of

FAQs

Why is early cancer detection challenging in dogs under current practice?

Guidelines-driven screening protocols for early detection in dogs are lacking, and many cancers are detected at advanced stages after clinical signs appear.

What was the study designed to test regarding liquid biopsy?

The study examined how cancer is typically detected in dogs and whether adding a next-generation sequencing-based blood “liquid biopsy” test to a wellness visit could enhance cancer detection.

What did the retrospective audit find about detection timing and liquid biopsy performance?

Only 4% of cases were detected during wellness visits using standard care, while liquid biopsy detected disease in 54.7% of patients, including a substantial proportion with early-stage and preclinical disease.

Sep 28, 2026

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