Cancer Vaccine Testing in Dogs

Dogs and humans have many similarities in types of cancers. Unlike rats or other animals where cancer is given to them in order to do research, dogs develop cancers on their own and for some breeds at a much higher rate than humans. This field of study is called comparative oncology. Most cancer vaccines for dogs are tested and developed to also help humans, which helps create more funding. If your dog has cancer, ask your vet about vaccines available or research trials in your area.

  1. Canine Cancers

    • Each year about four million dogs are diagnosed with cancer. Dogs have higher rates of leukemia, skin, breast and bone cancers than humans. Cancer in dogs is developed, acts like and responds to treatment predominately the same as it does in humans. Furthermore, like humans, dogs get cancer from genetic and environmental interactions. Jedd D. Wilchok, an oncologist from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, says that because dogs live in the same environment and their genes can be studied, research on canine cancers can be relevant to human research.

    Significance

    • Because dogs age faster than humans, the results of vaccine testing may be seen seven to ten times faster than in human studies. With no federal regulation process, it is easier to do canine testing so that vaccines and treatments can be evaluated more quickly. Although funding may be available at a higher rate because it can be applied to humans, cancer vaccine testing on dogs benefits dogs as much as it does humans.

    Melanoma Vaccine

    • Merial, a leading animal health care company, obtained the first cancer vaccine testing approval by the USDA in 2007. The vaccine is for melanoma, a common cancer in dogs. Merial worked with Memorial Sloan-Kettering (a top human cancer research center) and The Animal Medical Center of New York. They modified a human vaccine being tested in the lab for use on dogs. Most dogs with advanced melanoma live only one to five months. With the vaccine given along with regular treatment, the median survival time of the initial trail was 389 days. More study is being done to determine long term safety and effects.

    Lymphoma

    • Veterinarian and human oncologist researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are working on a vaccine for lymphoma. The vaccine is designed to help the dog's body attack and destroy the lymphoma. Several dogs in the initial study in 2006 are cancer-free. Vaccine studies are on-going for both humans and dogs.

    Brain Cancer

    • Researchers at University of Minnesota began a study on brain tumors in dogs and people. Dogs develop the brain cancer twice as often as humans so it is a valuable vaccine for dogs if it works. In 2008 the first patient, a dog named Batman who has the same type of cancer as Senator Ted Kennedy, was treated with a combination of surgery, a vaccine and gene therapy. The study has been expanded, but many of the initial dogs were cured and Batman was cancer free one year after treatment.

    Other Cancers

    • Jaime Modiano, a veterinarian at the University of Colorado, says canine genetic studies are easier in purebreds. Purebreds also allow for better studying of risk factors by comparing multiple breeds since some breeds are more predisposed to certain cancers than others. For example, bone cancers rates are high in Rottweilers and Scottish Deerhounds. Using purebreds will allow faster vaccine research based on genes as they determine which ones are responsible for some cancers. Sloan-Kettering research is working on a vaccine that will target any cancer cell so that the immune system destroys it.