Dog Cancer Vaccine For Canine Maligant Melanoma - Video

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Vaccine for Serious Canine Cancer - Canine Maligant Melanoma - Nears Reality

Although a cancer diagnosis is certainly scary for us, many people are equally frightened by the thought of their pet having an unusual growth. Recent research may be providing new exciting resources in the fight against cancer of pets and people.

There are many types of cancer, but humans and dogs share an extremely dangerous type known as a melanoma. Melanoma arises in the skin and can spread to distant organs through the circulatory system. It is considered to be dangerous because of its rapid spread and resistance to chemotherapy. Treatment in pets and people is often limited, especially in later stages.

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Melanoma can frequently be found on the dog's skin, but it is the oral version of this cancer that is most concerning to veterinarians. Canine malignant melanoma is the most common type of oral cancer in the dog and can account for almost 5% of all cancers that veterinarians diagnose. Caught early, surgery can help treat melanoma, but the outlook is not good for dogs whose cancer is diagnosed late or has spread to other organs.

In the battle to help combat this disease, a unique collaboration has occurred between The Animal Medical Center in New York and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. By studying the effects of an experimental type of vaccine used in dogs with melanoma, both groups hope to determine if this new type of therapy can provide hope to human and canine cancer patients. Since the early part of this decade, more than 350 dogs have received this investigational vaccine and the results are amazing. Some of the dogs who received the vaccine, along with traditional cancer therapies, lived for more than 3 years.

The vaccine used DNA and the dogs who were vaccinated created antibodies against the cancer. Using this information, and the knowledge gained through the earlier studies, more research is being done by the Animal Medical Center and Merial Animal Health. Studies may be showing that this treatment is safe and provides a reasonable expectation of success in the battle against melanoma. The USDA has granted Merial a conditional license for a similar DNA vaccine based on comparable technology. This conditional license will help further more studies to hopefully validate the safety and efficacy of this type of vaccine. These remarkable achievements may pave the way for a "cancer" vaccine for pets in the very near future.

Keep in mind that the appearance of a lump does not necessarily mean cancer. Your veterinarian should always be consulted before any treatment decisions are considered. The advent of new treatments, like this innovative vaccine, can offer hope to many pet owners.

PLEASE NOTE: Since this video was made, Merial has received full licensure for the vaccine.

This story produced by and published with permission of the Veterinary News Network.