Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immunotherapy treatment for rectal melanoma in a dog
By Valentina Rinaldi et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2024·Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: APAVAC Immunotherapy for the Adjuvant Treatment of a Canine Mucosal Melanoma
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old spayed female Beagle was brought to the vet because she was straining to defecate and was found to have a mass in her rectal wall. After imaging tests confirmed the mass was not spreading, the dog had surgery to remove the tumor, which was diagnosed as melanoma. Following surgery, she received a treatment called APAVAC immunotherapy, which did not cause any immediate side effects. Over 18 months of follow-up, including regular check-ups and scans, there were no signs of the tumor returning, and she remains healthy and cancer-free more than 540 days after her diagnosis.
People also search for: Beagle rectal mass treatment · dog melanoma immunotherapy · APAVAC for dogs · dog cancer survival rate
Abstract
An 11-year-old spayed female Beagle presented with tenesmus and was identified with a rectal wall mass. Diagnostic imaging (abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography) localised the mass in the right rectal wall and documented no evidence of metastatic disease. Subsequently, the dog underwent surgery for tumour excision. A histopathological diagnosis of melanoma was performed. To confirm the tumour histotype, immunohistochemistry was performed using anti-Melan A and anti-Ki67. Neoplastic cells exhibited focal Melan A immunoreactivity and widespread nuclear immunoreactivity for Ki67 with a Ki67 index of 27%. Adjuvant immunotherapy with APAVAC<sup>®</sup> was initiated. After APAVAC administration, no local or systemic acute adverse events were observed. Four pre- and post-contrast computed tomography (CT) studies were performed in an 18-month follow-up period every 4–5 months. Follow-up rectal palpation and conscious visualisation of the surgical site have also resulted in no macroscopic signs of tumour recurrence. The dog remains alive and with no clinical evidence of tumour recurrence and/or distant progression at the time of writing, therefore, surviving over 540 days from the diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11120628