MADISON, Wis., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine say a canine cancer vaccine research project has shown promise.
The school's oncology department began producing an anti-cancer vaccine for dogs in 1998. Although since improved, the vaccine is still an experimental treatment.
"Not all dogs with melanoma respond to this treatment," cautions Ilene Kurzman, a researcher in the veterinary medical school's oncology section. "But those that do seem to do quite well."
Canine melanoma, the equivalent of one form of skin cancer in humans, is very aggressive in dogs. It usually manifests itself in or around the dog's mouth or toes. Despite conventional treatment, 75 percent of dogs with oral melanoma die within one year.
However, about 40 percent of dogs with a melanoma tumor present responded to the vaccine that's created from actual melanoma tumor cells. In about 12.5 percent of the treated dogs, the tumor completely disappeared.
Researchers said dogs that first had surgery for their melanoma and then received the vaccine lived cancer-free for approximately twice as long as dogs in previous studies that did not receive the vaccine.
