Veterinary Oncology Market

Market Overview

Veterinary oncology is a sub-segment of veterinary medicine that deals with cancer diagnosis and treatment in animals. The treatment is highly dependent on the cancer type, stage, location, and nature of cancer, which include targeted therapy, combination therapy, and chemotherapy.

The veterinary oncology market was valued at USD 198.9 million in 2019 and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 10.6% during the forecast study period.

Market Dynamics

Increasing Prevalence of Cancer and Rising Awareness Regarding Veterinary Cancer Therapies

Rising awareness regarding veterinary cancer therapies, surging animal healthcare expenditure, and government initiatives for veterinary cancer treatment drives the market growth.For instance, in 2016, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reported that neoplastic disease is highly prevalent in 73 out of 82 canines and is one of the leading causes of death for canines aged one and below. Furthermore, feline leukemia virus (FeLV) affects about 32% of the total feline population and is reported to be one of the most significant causes of feline lymphoma. Thus, the rising prevalence of cancer prompts the dire need for effective veterinary oncology treatments.

Growing R&D Initiatives and Veterinary Healthcare Expenditure for Cancer Management

Increasing numbers of veterinary clinical studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different veterinary oncology treatments provides an impetus to the market growth. Recently, AVMA developed the AVMA Animal Health Studies Database (AAHSD) as a resource for researchers conducting prospective veterinary clinical trials. In July 2019, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported the clinical trial testing for veterinary oncology treatments. The primary objective of the trialis to search for new cancer treatments that would preserve the quality of life for canines and offer an insight into how the therapies and approaches can be applied to support cancer patients as humans and dogs have common cancer genetics.

In 2017, the Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF) received a USD 1 million grant from the Blue Buffalo Foundation to support comparative oncology research and study the similarities between naturally occurring cancers in humans and animals and find an appropriate treatment for both species. Rising R&D collaborations of targeted cancer therapies drive the market growth. In 2016,Zenoaq partnered with Nexvet Biopharma and developed Monoclonal Antibodies (MAbs), which binds and inhibits the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) intended for immuno-oncology.

Segmental Analysis

Chemotherapy: Widely Used Modality of Diagnosis for Veterinary Oncology  

The chemotherapy segment held the largest market share in 2019 on account of the rapid introduction of chemotherapeutic procedures by surgeons due to their different advantages. Chemotherapy is a widely used modality of diagnosis for veterinary oncology, as per the AAHA's oncology recommendations in 2016. Rising adoption of other chemotherapy methods such as conventional, metronomic, and targeted chemotherapy (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs)) drives the segment growth.

Favorable Government Initiatives and Rising Prevalence of Cancer in Canines

The canine segment held the largest market share in 2019 on account of growing number of clinical trials on canine as a biological model and increasing prevalence of cancer. In the U.S., over a million pet dogs are diagnosed with different types of cancers every year, as per the PubMed report in 2016. Favorable government initiatives provide an impetus to the market growth. For instance, the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC), under the Comparative Oncology Program of the NIH-NCI-Center for Cancer Research, is dedicated for designing and carrying out clinical studies in canines with cancer to find new oncology therapies.

Lymphoma: One of the Highly Prevalent Type of Cancer in Canines

The lymphoma segment held the highest market share in 2019; as per the PubMed report, about 20–100 of 100,000 canines suffer from lymphoma cancer every year.The most common forms of lymphoma include mediastinal lymphoma, multicentric lymphoma, feeding lymphoma, and extranodal lymphoma, as per the American Kennel Club.The club also reports that about 80–85% of lymphomas in canines are multicentric. Thus, the increasing incidence of mast cell cancer in canines prompts the need for effective veterinary oncology treatments.   

Regional Analysis

Rapid Development and Adoption of Advanced Oncology Therapies Drives North America’s Veterinary Oncology Market

North America dominates the veterinary oncology market as the region is backed by the presence of leading pet drug manufacturers and rapid adoption of innovative pet care medicines. Increasing government funding in veterinary oncology treatment and rapid development of advanced therapies drives the regional market growth. In 2017, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded about USD 11.5 million to six veterinary schools in order to develop immunotherapy therapies for four different forms of canine cancer. Thus, increasing funding for the evaluation of veterinary oncology treatment provides an impetus to the regional market growth.

Presence of Umpteen Veterinary Foundation Drives Asia-Pacific’s Market Growth

Asia-Pacific is anticipated to exhibit rapid growth in the veterinary oncology market. The region is backed by the presence of umpteen veterinary foundations that focus on veterinary cancer research, including the Australian Animal Cancer Foundation. The foundation also supports the Australian Comparative Oncology Consortium, which includes Australian veterinary oncology specialists working together to develop novel therapies. Apart from this, the rising prevalence of cancer in canines prompts the need for effective therapies. In Australia, cancer affects one in every three dogs over their lifespan, as per the Australia Canine Centre, 2014.

Recent Developments

• In November 2019, Varian Medical Systems collaborated with VCA Animal Clinics to deliver advanced pet cancer radiotherapy treatment.
• In August 2019, Elanco Animal Health Inc. signed an agreement to acquire Bayer AG’s animal-health unit in order to reinforceElanco’s Animal Health business.
• In August 2019, BoehringerIngelheim signed a partnership agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Texas. The partnership is focused on conducting cooperative research to augment rapid therapies for several cancers, including gastrointestinal and lung cancers.

Veterinary Oncology Market Segmentation

By Therapy

• Surgery
• Radiology
• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy

By Animal Type

• Canine
• Feline

By Cancer Type

• Lymphoma
• Mast Cell Cancer
• Mammary and Squamous Cell Cancer
• Others (Anal Sac Carcinoma)

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• Central andSouth America and the Caribbean
• The Middle-East and Africa