• ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspective
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 LIVE!™
Insights
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Client Handouts
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

New immunotherapy may help combat canine cancer

June 17, 2022
dvm360 Staff

Research findings display new treatment has potential to also advance human cancer care

According to breakthrough research published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer,1 a protein the body naturally produces—interleukin-15 (IL-15)—may serve as a new immunotherapy drug to help combat canine and human cancer.

In the Phase 1 clinical trial, 21 dogs of different breeds with metastatic lung disease from osteosarcoma or melanoma were treated with IL-15. The research demonstrated that amplified concentrations of IL-15 can stimulate immune system defenses against some forms of canine cancer as it is one of several types of cytokines.2

“No one previously had administered IL-15 as an inhaled treatment in dogs to deliver it directly to the site of the cancer. We came up with that idea as a means of reducing exposure to the rest of the body, in order to improve the benefit-risk ratio, to improve the immune stimulating effects, and to reduce toxicity,” said Robert J. Canter, MD, professor for surgical oncology at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a university release.2

“As part of our comparative oncology research, we are strong advocates of clinical trials in companion dogs, especially for immunotherapy, as a way to speed bench-to-bedside translation,” added Canter, who is also chief of the UC Davis Division of Surgical Oncology and co-director of the comparative oncology training program at UC Davis. “The cancers that afflict dogs, including sarcomas, brain tumors, lymphoma and melanoma, are incredibly similar to cancers that humans develop.” 

Methodology

The study was conducted between October 2018 and December 2020, and dogs inhaled a mist containing IL-15 twice daily.1 Doses were increased over time, and dogs experienced noteworthy responses within 2 weeks after they started inhaling the IL-15 mist.

For 2 dogs in the study, tumors shrank dramatically, including one that went into complete remission for over a year. Cancer that had been growing quickly in 5 other dogs stabilized for a few months. “Our overall response rate, the clinical benefit rate, was close to 40%,” Canter expressed, in the release.2

Thus, further research is needed commented Robert Rebhun, DVM, PhD, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences. Rebhun also holds the Maxine Adler Endowed Chair in Oncology and is the associate director of the cancer program in the Center for Companion Animal Health.

“The inhaled IL-15 responses that we’ve seen in dogs are better than prior human studies, but clinical benefit is seen in less than half of the dogs. Using IL-15 in people has led to potentially favorable immune responses but has not yielded good tumor responses. This indicates that combining IL-15 with other immunotherapies may result in additive or synergistic responses,” said Rebhun.2

Notable results

According to Rebhun,2 the research revealed 2 significant findings: the therapy was well tolerated, and even just a 2-week course of inhaled IL-15 could result in sustained suppression of advanced and diffuse metastatic cancer. Rebhun along with Canter agreed that in future clinical application, IL-15 would likely be used in a multimodal approach coupled with other treatments.

“All of the canine patients in this study had advanced metastatic cancer, and the majority already had received prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy and, in some cases, immunotherapy. Studies are ongoing now to see whether we can predict which patients might respond to this therapy based on properties of the tumor or the patient’s immune status,” Rebhun said.2

“This may help us identify patients that might respond to this therapy, as well as help us understand how to potentially combine other immunotherapies to improve response rates,” he added. “We are grateful to the extremely dedicated clients who sought any and all possible care for their pets, elected to enroll them in this study, and even delivered the inhaled IL-15 to their dogs at home—in hopes that it could benefit their dog, other dogs, or possibly even people with advanced metastatic cancer.”

The National Institutes of Health supplied the recombinant IL-15 as part of the funding for the study. The research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.2

References

  1. Rebhun RB, York D, et al. Inhaled recombinant human IL-15 in dogs with naturally occurring pulmonary metastases from osteosarcoma or melanoma: a phase 1 study of clinical activity and correlates of response. J Immunother Cancer. 2022 June;10(6):1-15. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004493.
  2. Dogs inhale new immunotherapy to fight lung cancer. News release. UC Davis Health. June 10, 2022. Accessed June 17, 2022. https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/dogs-inhale-new-immunotherapy-to-fight-lung-cancer-/2022/06

Related Content:

OncologyClinicalMedicalRolesAssociates
A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care
A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care
3 Must-reads from DIVM
3 Must-reads from DIVM
Why team building makes all the difference in your practice and how to do it right
Why team building makes all the difference in your practice and how to do it right

Latest News

A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care

Rare Przewalski's horse foal born at an England zoo

3 Must-reads from DIVM

Shepherd Veterinary Software debuts new pet portal

View More Latest News