New cancer vaccine tested on dogs has shown very promising results, according to research by the UMC Cancer Center Amsterdam† Together with an oncology center for animals, he treated 35 dogs with bladder cancer.
The study found that after 400 days, half of the treated dogs were still alive and two were completely cured. The researchers saw that the tumor shrank, stagnated or even completely disappeared, while normally most of these dogs died after 180 days.
“This is an important step towards a cancer vaccine for humans,” says researcher and professor of experimental oncology and angiogenesis Arjan Griffioen.
Malinois Rax
The Malinois Rax suffered from an aggressive form of bone cancer, but thanks to the vaccine, the dog seems to be cured. Until recently, doctors could only cut out the tumor and then administer chemo, extending the dog’s life by a year at most.
The shepherd was given the vaccine for the first time at the Medical Center for Animals in Amsterdam, after the tumor had been removed. “The owners let them know that he is back to his old self,” says Griffioen. If this vaccine is successful in a large group of dogs, the next step is a clinical trial in humans. “Our immune system is largely similar to that of a dog, which is not always the case in mice and rats,” says Griffioen.
Protein
In 2006, the research team found a protein that is only present in the blood vessels of tumors and identified the role of this protein. “First of all, this protein makes it possible for new blood vessels to form and secondly, the protein turns off the immune system. Both the new blood vessels and the elimination of the immune system allow the tumor to grow faster,” says Griffioen. The team was able to develop an effective vaccine against this.
According to Griffioen, the benefits of the vaccine are great compared to chemotherapy. This destroys not only the tumor cells, but also the healthy cells of the body. “A vaccine is a form of ‘smart’ therapy. It only causes local swelling and temporary fever, just like with a corona vaccine,” says Griffioen.
However, Leiden University professor of immunotherapy, Sjoerd Van der Burg, is critical of the vaccine. “First the tumor was removed from the dog, then the vaccine was administered. Then you cannot speak of a cure,” says the professor. He does see potential in the vaccine, because it can be used in people who first have a tumor removed, after which the vaccine is then used to prevent the growth of new tumors. “We are already quite far. Between now and about ten years, the first really effective therapeutic cancer vaccines will be in use,” says Van der Burg.
(jvdh)