Researchers at the University of Missouri are advancing the treatment of thyroid cancer in dogs by exploring how radioactive iodine therapy can be optimized for better outcomes. The study provides new insights into tailoring care for canine patients and improving the effectiveness of this specialized treatment.

What sets this research apart is its focus on dogs receiving only radioactive iodine, without surgery or chemotherapy. By studying 32 dogs treated exclusively with this therapy, the team was able to isolate the treatment’s specific effects and identify factors that influence its success.

Each dog underwent detailed nuclear imaging to assess their thyroid tumors before therapy. Researchers then applied a cutting-edge approach called radiomics, which analyzes medical scans using computer algorithms to detect subtle patterns that may predict treatment response. Unlike traditional imaging, radiomics goes beyond what a radiologist can see, examining texture, shape, and minute variations across thousands of pixels in each scan.

The study revealed that dogs receiving higher doses of radioactive iodine generally showed better responses. This suggests that customizing the dose based on individual tumor characteristics could enhance treatment outcomes. Additionally, the researchers found that overall health, tumor spread, and how radiation was absorbed by tumors versus surrounding tissues significantly influenced long-term survival. Without treatment, affected dogs typically survive fewer than six months.

This work builds on decades of experience using radiopharmaceuticals—radioactive compounds that diagnose and treat disease—both in humans and dogs. The research also contributes to the field of comparative oncology, which studies naturally occurring cancers in pets to improve understanding and care for human patients.

“The integration of radiopharmaceuticals and advanced imaging techniques is fundamentally changing canine cancer treatment by enabling more precise diagnostics, personalized treatment planning, and a deeper understanding of tumor behaviour, particularly in the context of thyroid cancer,” said Charles A. Maitz, associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine and one of the study’s authors.

The findings were published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology in a paper titled “Prognostic role of patient, tumour and radiomic factors influencing outcomes in dogs with thyroid cancer treated with Iodine-131.” Researchers from the University of Missouri, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of California, Berkeley, co-authored the paper.