Scientists say house cats could help unlock new cancer treatments for humans

Scientists have uncovered surprising genetic links between cat and human cancers — and the discovery could reshape cancer treatment for pets and people alike.

GUELPH, CANADA — In a major breakthrough for comparative oncology, a landmark international study co-led by the University of Guelph and the Wellcome Sanger Institute has mapped the first large-scale genetic atlas of feline cancer.

The research, published in Science, is the first large-scale effort to genetically profile cancers in cats. Researchers believe the findings could improve understanding of cancer in both animals and humans while also creating a valuable open resource for future feline cancer studies.

Study Methodology & Genomic Mapping

To map the feline oncogenome, researchers conducted targeted next-generation sequencing on 493 tumor-normal tissue pairs across 13 distinct cancer types collected across five countries. The team specifically analyzed the feline counterparts (orthologs) of roughly 1,000 human cancer-associated genes.

The baseline findings revealed that 37% of the studied feline tumors harbor specific genetic “weak points” that are highly susceptible to targeted drug interventions.

The Human-Cat Genetic Parallel

The research uncovered striking genetic mutations and cancer-driving genes shared directly among cats, dogs, and humans:

• Tumor Suppressor Link: The gene TP53 emerged as the most frequently altered gene, appearing in roughly one-third of all analyzed feline tumors—closely mirroring human somatic mutation patterns

• Breast Cancer Breakthrough: The study found a profound genetic bridge in aggressive feline mammary (breast) carcinomas. The driver gene FBXW7 was mutated in more than 50% of cat mammary tumors, while PIK3CA was altered in 47%. In human clinical data, mutations in FBXW7 are identically linked to aggressive advancement and poorer patient survival rates

• Shared Environmental Mutations: Parallels were also established across skin, lung, bone, and gastrointestinal tract cancers. Notably, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in cats showed definitive signs of UV radiation damage, matching the exact environmental pathways seen in human skin cancers

Vet Clinic Future: Translating Cures Across Species

By publishing this dataset as an open-source global resource, the consortium has created an immediate launchpad for clinical trials under a “One Medicine” framework.

Crucially, laboratory tissue culture screenings during the study demonstrated that certain chemotherapy drugs and human PI3K inhibitors showed significantly higher efficacy against feline tumors carrying these exact FBXW7 and PIK3CA mutations. This allows veterinary oncologists to safely fast-track and repurpose successful, pre-existing human biological therapies and targeted cancer drugs directly for clinic use to treat beloved companion animals.