The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital

Clinicians

Link to research profile

Professional history

Graduate of the Royal Veterinary College, London, spent two years as houseman / registrar at the Beaumont Hospital (RVC) before studying comparative oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. In 1984, moved to Department of Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapeutics, University of Cambridge as a research assistant to study hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer, leading to her DVetMed in 1989. Appointed University Lecturer in Veterinary Oncology in 1987. She received the BSAVA Woodrow award in 1994, became Diplomate of ECVIM-CA in 1997, received the BSAVA Blaine award in 2001 and is a founding Diplomate in the subspeciality of Oncology in ECVIM.

Professional specialism and interests, including clinical research

Main clinical interests are in veterinary cancer diagnosis, anti-cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A number of clinical studies are ongoing in these areas. Happy to accept Oncology referrals in general but particularly medical oncology ie lymphoma, leukaemia, and cases for radiotherapy, animals requiring surgery should be referred to our Soft Tissue Surgery clinic. Main research interest is in breed associated tumours in dogs, especially soft tissue sarcomas in Flat-coated Retrievers.

Ongoing clinical trials

• molecular genetic basis for sarcoma development in Flat-coated Retrievers
• improving response of canine nasal tumours to radiotherapy
• development of photodynamic therapy
• canine lymphoma: comparison of response to different treatment protocols
• canine melanoma, development of vaccination strategy in collboration with Dr B Catchpole & Dr A Stell at RVC.

Professional positions held

• Senior Lecturer in Clinical Veterinary Oncology ( from 2000 - with tenure), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge
• Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Ca & Oncology
• RCVS and European recognised Specialist in Veterinary Oncology

Key presentations since 2005

• Feline mammary tumours: an update, BSAVA Congress April 2007
• Dobson JM & Gear RN A pilot study to assess the effects of adjunctive treatment with propentofylline in dogs with nasal tumours treated with radiotherapy. ESVONC Spring meeting, Cambridge, March 2007.
• Diagnosis & Treatment of Lymphoma, RVC Therapeutics course, Feb 2007
• BVOA One Day meeting: The biology of Bone Tumours and Non-surgical management of bone tumours. April 19 , 2006.
• Photodynamic therapy in cats. British Veterinary Oncology Study Group, November 2005

Key publications since 2003

• Taylor, F., R. Gear, T. Hoather and J. Dobson (2009). Chlorambucil and prednisolone chemotherapy for dogs with inoperable mast cell tumours: 21 cases. J Small Anim Pract 50(6): 284-9. [PubMed]
• Aguirre-Hernandez, J., B. S. Milne, C. Queen, P. C. O'Brien, T. Hoather, S. Haugland, M. A. Ferguson-Smith, J. M. Dobson and D. R. Sargan (2009). Disruption of chromosome 11 in canine fibrosarcomas highlights an unusual variability of CDKN2B in dogs. BMC Vet Res 5: 27. [PubMed]
• Dobson, J., T. Hoather, T. J. McKinley and J. L. Wood (2009). Mortality in a cohort of flat-coated retrievers in the UK. Vet Comp Oncol 7(2): 115-21. [PubMed]
• Dunning, M. D., C. S. Lowrie, N. H. Bexfield, J. M. Dobson and M. E. Herrtage (2009). Exogenous insulin treatment after hypofractionated radiotherapy in cats with diabetes mellitus and acromegaly. J Vet Intern Med 23(2): 243-9. [PubMed]
• Bexfield, N. H., A. J. Stell, R. N. Gear and J. M. Dobson (2008). Photodynamic therapy of superficial nasal planum squamous cell carcinomas in cats: 55 cases. J Vet Intern Med 22(6): 1385-9. [PubMed]
• Dobson, J., E. Villiers, A. Roulois, S. Gould, P. Mellor, T. Hoather and P. Watson (2006). Histiocytic sarcoma of the spleen in flat-coated retrievers with regenerative anaemia and hypoproteinaemia. Vet Rec 158(24): 825-9. [PubMed]
• Sargan, D. R., B. S. Milne, J. A. Hernandez, P. C. O'Brien, M. A. Ferguson-Smith, T. Hoather and J. M. Dobson (2005). Chromosome rearrangements in canine fibrosarcomas. J Hered 96(7): 766-73. [PubMed]
• Catchpole, B., S. M. Gould, L. M. Kellett-Gregory and J. M. Dobson (2003). Development of a multiple-marker polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of metastatic melanoma in lymph node aspirates of dogs. Am J Vet Res 64(5): 544-9. [PubMed]
• Morris, J. S., E. F. McInnes, D. E. Bostock, T. M. Hoather and J. M. Dobson (2002). Immunohistochemical and histopathologic features of 14 malignant fibrous histiocytomas from Flat-Coated Retrievers. Vet Pathol 39(4): 473-9. [PubMed]
• Dobson, J. M., S. Samuel, H. Milstein, K. Rogers and J. L. Wood (2002). Canine neoplasia in the UK: estimates of incidence rates from a population of insured dogs. J Small Anim Pract 43(6): 240-6. [PubMed]