Last winter, Brooke Brose noticed a lump on her cat Crazy's chest. When it grew, she and her husband, Rick Eller, took Crazy to their primary care veterinarian for a biopsy, which revealed cancer cells.

After having Crazy’s carcinoma mass removed, they were referred to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) for a consultation to determine the likelihood of spread. The recommendation: a radical mastectomy.

“We were trying to figure out what ethically made sense for Crazy,” Brose says. “We were concerned about her quality of life, but we also wanted to give her the best care we could.”

Turns out, Crazy, whom Brose adopted eight years ago, was a perfect candidate for a clinical trial led by Logan Kursh, a VMC medical oncology resident studying mammary cancer in cats.

Feline mammary tumors are aggressive, with limited effective treatment options and poor long-term outcomes. Because feline mammary tumors have a similar behavior and biology to high-grade human breast cancer, cats have been used as a translational model for decades.

Kursh’s study, under principal investigator and UMN College of Veterinary Medicine professor Mike Henson, uses two drugs: meloxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory used to treat pain and inflammation, and olaparib, a small-molecule drug called a PARP inhibitor used in humans to treat high-grade, aggressive breast cancers.

“We've been using these small molecule inhibitors in cases where we don't have other great options,” Kursh says. “Very little has been published about using [olaparib] in veterinary medicine.”

Tim Fan, a professor and comparative oncology researcher from the University of Illinois, generously shared preliminary data showing that cats tolerated olaparib in the short term.

For eight weeks this past summer, Brose and Eller gave Crazy medication mixed in her food every 12 hours and then administered a second medication once a day, which Crazy tolerated well.

“I had a million questions, and Dr. Kursh was really reassuring with all of them,” says Brose.

Crazy’s masses didn’t grow during the study. The trial also included a $2,000 credit toward cancer care, which Brose and Eller used after the study for Crazy’s mastectomy.

These days, Crazy’s incision has healed up, and she’s back to her old “snuggle bug” self. She still takes meloxicam, along with a different cancer drug that’s easier to administer at home.

“We haven’t found any new masses, so we’re hopeful that this medication she’s on will extend her life and her quality of life for a bit longer,” Brose says.

Early results from the trial suggest the medication combination is safe and may slow tumor growth, though Kursh needs more participants and results to build a case for a larger, multi-institution study.

“I’m happy that all of the cats are doing well and we haven’t caused any scary side effects,” says Kursh. “To even see a hint of potentially some response is very exciting.”

Currently in the second year of her residency, Kursh’s path to oncology wasn’t typical. After getting her undergraduate degree, she worked as a museum conservator in New York City, including at the American Museum of Natural History, where she focused on mammalian taxidermy. After the death of one of her pets, Kursh realized she was “absolutely doing the wrong thing.” While taking prerequisites for vet school, she worked at the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary hospital, where she began researching feline mammary cancer.

“I wanted to work toward improving outcomes for these cats,” she says. “I felt it was important to me to try something new. I’m fortunate that the faculty [at the University of Minnesota] has been quite supportive both in terms of helping me design the trial, and then also helping me with funding for it.”

Kursh is still looking for two more cats to participate in the trial. Along with the $2,000 credit, the study covers all visits and medications. There’s also a $1,500 credit for any adverse events that happen while enrolled in the study that are related to the medication being studied. The trial is facilitated by the Veterinary Clinical Investigation Center.