Penn Veterinary Medicine | University of Pennsylvania

Description of Research Expertise

Karin Sorenmo: Research interest and clinical skills: As a practicing veterinary oncologist my research interests span across a relatively wide range of cancers, both in dogs and cats, for which there is currently insufficient understanding of the biological behavior and/or inadequate treatments available. The focus of my clinical research and publications so far include characterization of mammary and prostatic cancers and these tumors’ hormonal association, canine hemangiosarcoma; and more lately I have focused on immunotherapy and how to utilize cancer vaccines in animals with naturally occurring tumors. Spontaneous diseases including cancer in dogs and cats are unique resources in cancer research and can be utilized to study cancer biology and the response to novel therapies in natural, immuno-competent, realistic and relevant tumor models. Such research provides our veterinary patients access to new and potentially effective treatments while providing human cancer research reliable information for their patients. The oncology section in currently actively engaged is several of these types of collaborative trials both with colleagues at the medical school as well as other academic institutions.

Selected Publications

Sorenmo KU, Harwood LP, King LG, Drobatz KJ.: Risk factors for developing sepsis (neutropenia and fever) in dogs undergoing chemotherapy; a retrospective case-control study, JAVMA 2009, in press.

Krick E, Billings AP, Shofer FS, Watanabe S, Sorenmo KU*: Cytological lymph node evaluation in dogs with mast cell tumors: association with grade and survival. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology. 7(2): 130-8 , Jun 2009 .

Oberthaler KT, Mauldin E, McManus PM, Shofer FS, Sorenmo KU*: Rescue therapy with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for relapsing or refractory feline lymphoma: a retrospective study of 23 cases. J Feline Med Surg. 11(4): 259-65 , Apr 2009.

Sorenmo KU, Kristiansen V, Cofone MA, Shofer FS, Breen AM, Langeland M, Mongil CM, Grondahl AM, Teige J, Goldschmidt MH.: Canine mammary gland tumors; a histological continuum from benign to malignant; clinical and histopathological evidence E.pub 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5829 Veterinary and Comparative Oncology DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5829April 2009.

Paolini M, Tandle A, Mazcko C, Hanna E, Kachala S, LeBlanc A, Newman S, Vail D, Henry C, Thamm D, Sorenmo K, Hajitou A, Pasqualini R, Arap W, Khanna C, Libutti S.: Launching a novel preclinical infrastructure: Comparative oncology trials consortium directed therapeutic targeting of TNF alpha to cancer vasculature. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4972 2009.

McNeill CJ, Sorenmo KU, Shofer FS, Gibeon L, Durham AC, Barber LG, Baez JL, Overley B.: Evalaution of adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for the treatment of feline mammary carcinoma. J Vet Internal Medicine 23(1): 123-9, 2009.

Jacobs T, Hoppe B, Poehlman CE, Ferracone J, Sorenmo KU*: Mammary adenocarcinomas in three male cats exposed to medroxyprogesterone acetate (1990-2006) J Feline Med Surg, in press 2009.

Griessmayr P, Krick E, Shofer F, Sorenmo K.: CCNU (lomustine) as single agent for the treatment of resistant gastrointestinal lymphoma in cats (1998-2008) October 18-21, 2008 28th Annual Conference of the Veterinary Cancer Society Seattle Washington October 2008.

Wiley J, Rook KA, Clifford CA, Shofer FS, Sorenmo K: Efficacy of neoadjuvant doxorubicin based chemotherapy for canine subcutaneous Hemangiosarcoma. 28th Annual Conference of the Veterinary Cancer Society Seattle Washington October 2008.

McNeil C, Lassoued W, Sorenmo K, Roysam B, Lee WMF.: Cytometric analysis of Ki67, PAKT, PERK, and PSTAT3 antigen staining in histopathology of canine lymphoma. 18-21, 2008 28th Annual Conference of the Veterinary Cancer Society Seattle Washington October 2008.