APAVAC® autologous immunotherapy useful and non-toxic in the treatment of equine melanoma
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Why immunotherapy ?Equine melanoma evolves slowly and is often subject to extension. The standard treatment is surgery, which should be performed as early as possible but is sometimes made difficult by the location of the melanoma, particularly due to suture problems.
There are many recurrences after surgery, and chemotherapy has shown little effectiveness, while radiotherapy has not yet been developed in this indication (1,2). In this context, the APAVAC® immunotherapy prepared directly from the tumour sample represents a simple, accessible and easy-to-plan alternative, provided that the sample is kept frozen at -20°C, in a clean, dry bottle.
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A case reportIn agreement with Drs TRENCART and PIAT, we hereby
report a recent case treated at the Clinique Equine de Provence. A 20-year-old male PURA RAZA ESPANOLA was seen in June 2023
for several melanomas at the base of his tail and drainage of a melanotic
abscess in the left perirectal region. Also of note was the presence of two
suspicious lumps on the trunk, the medical history of which had led, 10 years
previously, to the diagnosis of a simple lump of fat...
  
The following day, the melanomas at the base of the tail
were dissected and removed under sedation and local anaesthetic in preparation
for the APAVAC autologous immunotherapy treatment protocol. The treatment was
carried out according to the recommended vaccination schedule by subcutaneous
injection once a week for 4 weeks, then once a month for the following 4
months. It should be noted that clinical monitoring revealed the
need to re-intervene (at the end of August) on the melanotic abscess, which
resolved in 15 days after washing with betadine, and two episodes of high fever
in August (6 weeks) and September (2 months after the start of treatment)
attributed to a type 2 rhino and treated with antibiotics.
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What are the results ?Follow-up visits at 3 and 7 months show :
- a very significant reduction in the size of tumours
located at the base of the tail,
- no recurrence of the abscess
- no side effects
- and
according to the owner, "A
return to work for a fit horse who seems to have found a new lease of
life", one year after the start of treatment.
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Would you like to talk about using
APAVAC® on an animal you are treating? Would you like to order? Contact-us by e-mail : sciences@hastim.fr or by phone : +33 (0)5 34 47 86 10
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RÉFÉRENCES 1. Phillips JC, Lembcke LM. Equine melanocytic tumors. Vet Clin North Am Equine
Pract. déc 2013;29(3):673‑87.
2. MacKay RJ. Treatment
Options for Melanoma of Gray Horses. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. août
2019;35(2):311‑25.
Marconato L, Aresu L, Stefanello D,
Comazzi S, Martini V, Ferrari R, et al. Opportunities and challenges of active
immunotherapy in dogs with B-cell lymphoma: a 5-year experience in two
veterinary oncology centers. J
Immunother Cancer. 7 juin 2019;7(1):146.
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