Introduction to Cancer in Animals

Humans aren't the only ones affected by cancer. This section contains information detailing cancer in animals. If the animal/cancer type in which you are interested is not yet presented, please check back because we will be adding new information regularly!

Cancer in Pets

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cancer causes almost 50% of deaths in pets over the age of 10. Some common types of cancers in pets include: skin, breast, head and neck, lymphoma, leukemia, testicular, abdominal, and bone. Of the two most common household pets, dogs tend to get cancer at a higher rate than cats.⁽¹⁾

Cancer in Wild Animals

Cancer also occurs in wild animals. Some well documented examples of cancer in wild animals include facial tumors in Tasmanian devils,⁽²⁾ fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles,⁽³⁾ and genital carcinoma in sea lions.⁽⁴⁾

Table of Contents:

• Cancer in Dogs
• Cancer in Cats
• Cancer in Wild Animals

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1. American Veterinary Medical Association. Material accessed: July 2009. [http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/animatedjourneys/pethealth/pethealth.asp]
2. Lachish S, McCallum H, Jones M. "Demography, disease and the devil: life-history in a disease-affected population of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)." J Anim Ecol. 2009 Mar;78(2):427-36. [PUBMED]
3. Kang KI, Torres-Velez FJ, Zhang J, Moore PA, Moore DP, Rivera S, Brown CC. "Localization of fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) by in-situ hybridization." J Comp Pathol. 2008 Nov;139(4):218-25. [PUBMED]
4. Newman SJ, Smith SA. "Marine mammal neoplasia: a review." Vet Pathol. 2006 Nov;43(6):865-80. [PUBMED]