March 1, 2010
The USDA recently approved ONCEPT™, a novel therapeutic vaccine for canine oral melanoma. At CARES, we’ve been treating our patients with the vaccine ever since the USDA conditionally licensed it for use. ONCEPT™ is the first USDA-approved therapeutic cancer vaccine. Studies show that stage II and stage III canine oral melanoma patients treated with the vaccine in addition to surgery have significantly improved survival times.
Melanoma is the most common oral tumor in dogs. It tends to be locally invasive and highly metastatic. It invades the bone of the jaws and spreads to the lymph nodes, lungs, and other organs. With a smaller tumor, a patient may enjoy prolonged survival with surgery alone. However, most melanomas are diagnosed later in the course of the disease when the tumor is larger and has a higher likelihood of invasion and spread.
ONCEPT™ contains a gene encoding human tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in the melanin pigment pathway. Human tyrosinase is similar to canine tyrosinase, but because it is human, it stimulates the canine immune system to respond against canine melanoma cells that produce tyrosinase.
Studies show that ONCEPT™ in addition to surgery significantly extends survival for dogs with stage II or III melanoma. Stage II or III canine oral melanoma patients typically have survival times of six months or less with surgery alone. In a controlled study, patients treated with ONCEPT™ and surgery had significantly improved survival times compared with dogs treated with surgery alone.
If your beloved pet is diagnosed with canine oral melanoma, have your family veterinarian make an appointment to discuss this treatment and how it may benefit you and your pet.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Baez, VMD, DACVIM
(Oncology and Internal Medicine)
Beth Overley, VMD, DACVIM
(Oncology)
