09 Treating cancer in cats and dogs



MARIO RITTER: Salsa is a house cat. She belongs to(1) Chris Condetti. We asked(2) Chris what Salsa means(3) to his family.

CHRIS CONDETTI: “She is part of the family. She’s always with us(4).”
MARIO RITTER: Many people treat(5) their pets(6) like family members. Americans spend(7) large amounts(8) of money on health care(9) for pets. They spent(10) $13 billion on veterinary care in 2010.

But the health of animals also(11) has a big influence on medical care for people. At the University of Missouri, Doctor Kim Selting recently(12) completed a study on cancer in cats.

DOCTOR KIM SELTING: “I think the value(13) of what happens(14) for the health of a pet and how it might(15) translate(16) to human health has come very much to the forefront(17).”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians(18) study information about animal health from across(19) the United States. At the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, Doctor Chand Khanna tests new cancer drugs(20) for dogs. He says those tests may help(21) people with cancer.

DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “For the most part(22), almost every(23) human cancer that occurs(24), occurs in the dog.”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians can do many of the same(25) tests on dogs and cats that doctors can do on human patients. Doctor Khanna says bone(26) cancer develops(27) in the same way(28) in dogs and humans.

DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “We’ve looked at molecular profiles(29) of dog osteosarcoma and human osteosarcoma and we really can’t distinguish(30) the dog and the human.”

MARIO RITTER: And, both(31) species react(32) to drugs.
DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “Our focus(33) has really been(34) on therapy, really trying(35) to understand how and why(36) drugs that are intended for(37) human use, how we can make them better(38) through(39) their evaluation(40) in dogs with cancer. That’s our focus.”

MARIO RITTER: The research(41) provides(42) better care for pets. Treating animals helps researchers(43) learn(44) much more about cancers in a shorter period(45) of time.

DOCTOR KIM SELTING: “They age(46) more rapidly. Their cancers progress more rapidly. We can get answers(47) to whether or not(48) something works(49) much more quickly(50) than you could(51) in a human trial(52).”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians say they are now able to(53) exchange information(54) with human-cancer specialists to explore what causes cancers and the best ways(55) to treat them. I’m Mario Ritter.

 VOCABULARY
  1. belongs to = pertence a
  2. asked = perguntamos
  3. means = significa
  4. always with us = sempre conosco
  5. treat = tratam
  6. pets = animais de estimação
  7. spend = gastam
  8. large amounts = grandes quantias
  9. health care = tratamento de saúde
  10. spent = gastaram
  11. also = também
  12. recently = recentemente
  13. value = valor
  14. happens = acontece
  15. might = pode
  16. translate = transferor
  17. forefront = primeiro plano
  18. Veterinarians = veterinarios
  19. from across = de um lado a outro
  20. cancer drugs = medicamentos para cancer
  21. may help = podem ajudar
  22. For the most part = para a maior parte
  23. almost every = quase todos
  24. occurs = ocorre
  25. same = mesmos
  26. bone = osso
  27. develops = desenvolve-se
  28. in the same way = da mesma forma
  29. profiles = perfis
  30. distinguish = distinguir
  31. both = ambos(as)
  32. react = reagem
  33. focus = foco
  34. has really been = tem realmente sido
  35. trying = tentando
  36. how and why = como e por quê
  37. intended for = destinado a
  38. better = melhor
  39. through = através
  40. evaluation = avaliação
  41. research = pesquisa
  42. provides = fornece
  43. researchers = pesquisadores
  44. learn = aprendem
  45. shorter period = periodo mais curto
  46. age = envelhecem
  47. get answers = ober respostas
  48. whether or not = se ou não
  49. works = funciona
  50. quickly = rapidamente
  51. could = poderia
  52. trial = teste, experiment
  53. able to = capazes de
  54. exchange information = trocar informações
  55. the best ways = as melhores formas