Current research interests involve equine cancer looking at the molecular characteristics of cancer and possible adjunctive therapies to improve the health and longevity of our equine friends. Current projects include collaborations with the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University and New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Projects include looking at the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2 by various equine tumours using both western blotting techniques and immunohistochemostry and the possible beneficial effect of COX-2 inhibitors as well as looking at the differential inhibition of COX by various drugs in the horse such as piroxicam and meloxicam.

Aggressiveness, reproductive dysfunction characterize most common equine cancer - granulosa-theca cell tumors. Horses have a higher incidence of ovarian tumors than do any other domestic animal. Mares with ovarian tumors, specifically granulosa-theca cell tumors, which are by far the most common type of equine ovarian cancer, tend to have reproductive dysfunction, and they tend to be aggressive. Both of these problems generally cause clients to seek veterinary help.

Ten cecal tumors were identified during the postmortem examination of seven horse carcasses at slaughter (one horse had three tumors). The multinodular and hemorrhagic tumors ranged from 1 to 10 cm in diameter and consisted of spindle cells arranged in thin, interconnected trabeculae that were often separated by sinuses filled with mucinous fluid, erythrocytes, and siderophages.

Equine sarcoid is the most commonly diagnosed tumor in horses and accounts for up to 33% of all reported equine tumors. Sarcoids may arise either spontaneously, or at a site of previous skin trauma. They develop from a specific cell in the skin called the fibroblast. The mechanism of this uncontrolled growth of fibroblasts in unknown, but a virus (papillomavirus) has been implicated. There is no sex or breed predilection, however, age may play a role as the majority of sarcoids (~ 70%) occur in horses less than 4 years old. The most common sites of the occurrence are the head, ears, limbs, and ventral abdomen.