HealthFirst-Canine cancer treatment may help humans

UNDATED (WJRT) -- (02/07/08)-- A cancer treatment used for dogs with melanoma may also help humans.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie LoBue explains how it works.

Melanoma usually shows up in a dog's mouth, and it spreads fast.

Looking at her, you'd never know tootsie's body is fighting to live.

"If I had ever known that this could happen to a dog, I would have had her in a month earlier to have her checked," said dog owner Nelida Belle.

Her dog, Tootsie, was having a hard time eating. It was probably a dental problem, Nelida thought, but it turned out to be a malignant melanoma tumor in the back of Tootsie's mouth.

Veterinarian oncologist Stacy Santoro says canine melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer. Dogs typically only survive one-to-five months. But this new treatment, a canine cancer vaccine, could change that.

"Overall, it's been shown to significantly prolong survival in dogs with oral melanoma."

Studies show dogs that get the vaccine, along with surgery or radiation, have lived three times longer. Researchers hope for similar results in humans.

"The point of it is to stimulate their own immune system to recognize tumor cells and then kill those affected cells," Santoro explained.

Lengthening tootsie's life comes at a cost. Radiation and the vaccine will run $4,000 to $5,000.

Melanoma is the most common form of oral cancer in dogs and is usually not related to sun exposure.

This same vaccine is being studied in humans at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

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healthfirst, leslie lobue

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