Jak the black cat, a research participant, lying in the sun. (Tina Thomas via SWNS) By Talker

By Stephen Beech

A new treatment for pet cats with head and neck cancers could help save human lives too, say scientists.

The first-ever clinical trial of the targeted therapy found that more than a third of cats who received treatment (35%) had their disease controlled with minimal side effects.

And the drug will likely be effective for humans with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as well, according to the American research team.

Doctors say HNSCC is a type of cancer that is notoriously deadly and difficult to treat.

Study senior author Professor Daniel Johnson said, “There are two major findings from this study.

“It showed us that it’s possible to target a transcription

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