FRIDAY, April 30, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Scottish terriers exposed to lawn chemicals have an increased risk of bladder cancer, a finding that may provide new knowledge about bladder cancer in humans, says a Purdue University study.
The team of veterinary researchers surveyed owners of Scottish terriers that had recently developed bladder cancer.
The study found the risk of transitional cell carcinoma in the bladder was found to be between four and seven times more likely in Scottish terriers that had been exposed to lawn chemicals.
"While we hope to determine which of the many chemicals in lawn treatments are responsible, we also hope the similarity between human and dog genomes will allow us to find the genetic predisposition toward this form of cancer found in both Scotties and certain people," said Lawrence T. Glickman, a professor of epidemiology and environmental medicine at Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine.
Scottish terriers develop bladder cancer about 20 times more often than other dog breeds. In this study, Glickman and his colleagues examined possible diet, lifestyle and environmental factors linked to bladder cancer in these dogs.
The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about bladder cancer.
