Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term results of gene therapy for malignant melanoma in 32 dogs
By Saellstrom, Sara et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·University Animal Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Adenoviral CD40 Ligand Immunotherapy in 32 Canine Malignant Melanomas-Long-Term Follow Up.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 32 dogs with malignant melanoma, a serious skin cancer, received a new treatment involving injections of a gene therapy called AdCD40L. This therapy was given either alone or alongside surgery to remove the tumors. After treatment, many dogs showed signs of immune response, with 7 dogs experiencing complete tumor disappearance and 5 showing partial improvement. On average, the dogs lived for about 285 days after starting treatment, indicating that this therapy could be a safe and effective option for managing canine melanoma.
People also search for: dog melanoma treatment · canine skin cancer immunotherapy · what to expect with dog cancer treatment
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is a serious disease in both humans and dogs, and the high metastatic potential results in poor prognosis for many patients. Its similarities with human melanoma make spontaneous canine melanoma an excellent model for comparative studies of novel therapies and tumor biology. Gene therapy using adenoviruses encoding the immunostimulatory gene CD40L (AdCD40L) has shown promise in initial clinical trials enrolling human patients with various malignancies including melanoma. We report a study of local AdCD40L treatment in 32 cases of canine melanoma (23 oral, 5 cutaneous, 3 ungual and 1 conjunctival). Eight patients were World Health Organization (WHO) stage I, 9 were stage II, 12 stage III, and 3 stage IV. One to six intratumoral injections of AdCD40L were given every seven days, combined with cytoreductive surgery in 20 cases and only immunotherapy in 12 cases. Tumor tissue was infiltrated with T and B lymphocytes after treatment, suggesting immune stimulation. The best overall response based on result of immunotherapy included 7 complete responses, 5 partial responses, 5 stable and 2 progressive disease statuses according to the World Health Organization response criteria. Median survival was 285 days (range 20-3435 d). Our results suggest that local AdCD40L therapy is safe and could have beneficial effects in dogs, supporting further treatment development. Clinical translation to human patients is ongoing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34368282/