A Report from the NCI Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium (CBTC) Glioma Pathology Board: A Revised Diagnostic Classification in Support of Validation of the Canine Glioma Patient as a Model for Humans

On September 14-15, 2015, a meeting of clinicians and investigators in the fields of veterinary and human neuro-oncology and neuropathology was convened at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. This meeting served as the inaugural event launching a new consortium, the National Cancer Institute’s Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium (CBTC), focused on improving the knowledge, development of, and access to naturally occurring canine central nervous system malignancies as models for human disease. The CBTC membership has collectively defined the overarching goal of the CBTC as the discovery and development of new treatments and diagnostic strategies for brain tumor patients through integration of the canine patient into all aspects of brain tumor research. ² One of the top strategic priorities identified by our group is to establish credibility of the dog brain tumor patient as a model for humans. To do so, we must determine which tumor subtypes/markers of disease can be linked to clinical outcomes in both species. In doing so, we position the dog as a valid complementary animal model for humans but also gain knowledge and understanding of canine tumors for the benefit of canine patients.

Since its inception, the CBTC membership has brought forward a number of basic, clinical, and translational research initiatives, which have garnered significant support from a variety of funding sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, the Canines-N-Kids Foundation, as well as the CBTC member institutions themselves. These projects span multiple disciplines, including tumor biology and immunology, clinical trials, drug development, imaging science, and molecular pathology. ^{1 –3}

Of particular interest to veterinary pathologists is a glioma-focused tumor board comprising both physician and veterinarian neuropathologists, whom conducted a comprehensive review of 193 canine glioma cases. The immediate goal of this initiative was to improve on an existing glioma classification scheme to yield greater harmonization of phenotypic characterization and thus enable broader agreement regarding the histologic diagnosis of canine glioma. The long-term goal was to support future incorporation of clinical outcomes and genomic data into the proposed simplified diagnostic schema. In doing so, we further bridge the worlds of veterinary and human neuropathology and strengthen the validity of the dog as a naturally occurring, translationally relevant animal model of human glioma. A manuscript detailing the formation, evolution, and final results of this group, including a detailed explanation of the simplified classification system and many high-quality illustrative photomicrographs, was recently published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. ¹ The choice of journal reflects our desire to reach out to our physician counterparts and advance the cause of comparative oncology. We have also presented findings from our study to attendees at the annual meeting of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and believe that this manuscript will be of particular interest to the readership of Veterinary Pathology.