Breaking the 20-year Plateau in Canine Lymphoma Care: Why Innovation Matters Now More Than Ever

Today, as science and technology advance rapidly across all areas of medicine, one question is becoming more clear: why has one of the most common canine cancers seen so little evolution in treatment strategies? And more importantly: what can be done to change that?

The answer lies in moving from standardized care toward individualized, data-driven medicine. ImpriMed’s Personalized Prediction Profile is an example of this forward-thinking transition—a platform built to bridge the gap between established oncology practices and the next era of precision cancer treatment for dogs.

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Understanding Canine Lymphoma

Canine lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system in dogs, a key player in your dog’s immune system. Lymphoma arises in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, and can develop in various parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, or gastrointestinal tract to name a few. 

There are several types of canine lymphoma, the most common being multicentric lymphoma which affects multiple lymph nodes simultaneously. The disease can progress quickly without treatment but chemotherapy can be very effective in getting a dog into remission, especially when diagnosed early. 

You can learn more about canine lymphoma on our blog here.

The traditional approach to managing lymphoma relies primarily on chemotherapy, often following a multi-drug protocol known as CHOP—Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin Hydrochloride (sometimes called Hydroxydaunomycin), Vincristine sulfate (brand name OncovinⓇ), and Prednisone. This protocol has long been the gold standard in veterinary oncology, producing measurable and consistent results across large populations of patients. 

You can learn more about the CHOP protocol in our blog here.

CHOP and similar protocols have proven themselves time and time again. They provide an evidence-based framework that gives veterinarians and pet parents hope for remission and longer survival times. Yet, despite its success, the CHOP model also represents a medical system built on broad generalization rather than personalization. 

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The Plateau in Progress

Since the early 2000s, the veterinary oncology community has achieved important milestones in diagnostics and supportive care, but the foundation of treatment has not shifted significantly. Dogs today are still most often treated using the same combinations of chemotherapy agents that were used two decades ago. 

This continuity reflects both the strength and limitation of current methods. On one hand, it demonstrates how effective and reliable these protocols have been for generations of patients, but on the other, it underscores how little opportunity there has been for individualized improvement. 

Scientific understanding of cancer biology has advanced rapidly in human medicine—particularly in the areas of genetics, AI-assisted diagnostics, and personalized oncology. Yet for dogs, those breakthroughs have only recently begun to make their way into clinical application. Chemotherapy continues to benefit numerous patients, but a lack of improvement in survival and remission rates over the years highlights the opportunity for innovation in personalized care. 

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Diagnostic Advances Pave The Way to Change 

Historically, diagnosing lymphoma involved a combination of clinical evaluation and cytology—the microscopic examination of cells collected through fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Once cancerous lymphocytes were identified, tests such as immunophenotyping and PCR for Antigen Receptor Rearrangements (PARR) helped determine whether the cells were clonal meaning cancer vs infection. This test is very helpful in complicated cases and early emerging lymphoma. Flow cytometry has also been revolutionary in diagnosing lymphoma and evaluating for prognostic markers like B and T cell, class II MHC, and cell size to name a few. 

You can learn more about the diagnostic tests that are performed to diagnose canine lymphoma here.

These advances revolutionized veterinary diagnostics by enabling more accurate classification and prognosis. They remain essential components of a cancer diagnosis today, giving oncologists the foundational information they need to recommend appropriate therapies. However, while these tests reveal what type of lymphoma is present, they do not show how that individual's cancer cells will respond to specific drugs—the diagnostics can define the disease but not predict a treatment response. 

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Precision Medicine: A Needed Step Forward 

Functional precision medicine tests how a patient’s live cancer cells respond to specific therapies in a controlled lab setting. This direct observation produces insights that go far beyond breed or historically accurate data alone, offering a realistic view of how the cancer may behave inside the body. Until recently, however, this approach wasn’t feasible in veterinary practice because live cancer cells couldn’t survive long enough after being collected for meaningful analysis. 

ImpriMed overcame this barrier through the development of a proprietary transport solution that keeps cancer cells alive during shipment from clinic to laboratory. This breakthrough enables scientists to study the live behavior of each tumor and measure its response to various chemotherapy drugs—bringing the sophistication of precision medicine to everyday veterinary use. 

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Inside the Personalized Prediction Profile. 

At the center of ImpriMed’s innovation is the Personalized Prediction Profile, a comprehensive system that integrates live-cell testing, molecular analysis, and AI modeling. The process begins with a standard fine needle aspiration sample, collected just as it would be for traditional diagnostics. Using ImpriMed’s preservation technology, these living cells are then exposed to multiple chemotherapy agents to determine their individual sensitivities and resistances. 

The resulting data is analyzed alongside genetic and clinical information using ImpriMed's advanced artificial intelligence platform. The AI identifies patterns within thousands of data points, producing a predictive report that helps veterinarians see which drugs are most likely to deliver the best outcomes for that specific patient. This insight does not replace traditional chemotherapy but rather enhances it, allowing veterinarians to apply long-standing, trusted protocols with a higher degree of precision and confidence. 

Each new patient also contributes to ImpriMed’s continuously learning database. As anonymized treatment results are added, the AI model refines its predictive accuracy, strengthening the reliability of future recommendations. With every use, the Personalized Prediction Profile becomes smarter—creating a cycle of real-world improvement across the veterinary oncology community. 

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Redefining the Future of Canine Cancer Care

ImpriMed's Personalized Prediction Profile reflects a shift in how lymphoma is understood and managed. Instead of testing the disease as a single, uniform condition, veterinarians can now approach it as a diverse group of cancers that behave differently from one dog to another. By matching treatment to biology rather than general statistics, oncologists gain the ability to offer more personalized, data-informed care.

This approach has practical value at every stage of a dog’s cancer journey. At diagnosis, it can help select the most effective therapy from the start. In case of relapse, a repeat test on a new sample can reveal whether the cancer has changed and which treatments may now be more appropriate. Through these insights, the Personalized Prediction Profile helps veterinarians make confident, evidence-based decisions tailored to each dog’s unique disease. 

Traditional chemotherapy remains the foundation of lymphoma care—but with the integration of precision medicine and AI-driven insight, it now has the potential to achieve even more. This is not a replacement for established expertise; it’s the next step forward, enhancing the effectiveness of what already works. 

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Learn How ImpriMed Can Help on Your Dog’s Lymphoma Journey

The science supporting individualized care is here today. Embracing this advancement means ensuring every dog receives treatment that reflects its specific biology, not just its diagnosis. 

ImpriMed’s Personalized Prediction Profile offers a practical way to make that possible.

Learn more about how to get your vet involved with ImpriMed here.