Nearly 50,000 cases of the blood vessel cancer called canine hemangiosarcoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

It’s invariably fatal, although removing the dog’s spleen and chemotherapy may extend its life.

Now, an experimental therapy is showing promise. First, a blood test is used to detect hemangiosarcoma cells. Then the affected dog is treated with eBAT [Ē-bat], which consists of two antibodies that target receptors on these cells with a toxic payload. eBAT invades the cancerous tissue, stops protein production and destroys cells that feed the tumor.

Fewer than 50% of dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma live six more months. So far, treatment with eBAT after a splenectomy has increased this rate to about 70%, and that’s significant.