Vaccine Study for Dogs with Splenic Hemangiosarcoma

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is currently recruiting dogs recently diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma for clinical research trial. This investigational trial is for the development of a vaccine for future treatment, specifically, of splenic hemangiosarcoma in dogs.

Enrollment Status: Currently Enrolling

• Inclusion/Exclusion criteria: Any dog recently diagnosed with splenic hemangiosarcoma that does not have other life threatening diseases and is treatment naïve. Your dog is eligible for the study when they have had their spleen removed (by splenectomy) and are able to receive standard of care chemotherapy (doxorubicin) treatment. More specific information regarding criteria of admission will be discussed with you during your Oncology evaluation appointment.
• Treatment: Your dog will receive the vaccine  in addition to standard of care therapy. The vaccine will be given over 6 visits approximately 3 weeks apart in addition to 6 chemotherapy visits.  If appropriate, your dog will also receive open-label boosters every 3-6 months. The chemotherapy visits will be scheduled 2 weeks prior to each vaccine visit. At each visit, blood will also be drawn to measure the immune response for study purposes.
• Cost: You will need to schedule an Oncology Evaluation Appointment for your dog (a referral form must be submitted via the Oncology Referral form by your primary and or referring veterinarian). This evaluation appointment is a pre-requisite for determining eligibility and does not guarantee that your dog will qualify to receive the study vaccine. If your dog is eligible for the study at the time of the evaluation, all costs will be discussed with you prior to study enrollment.

All costs are the responsibility of the owner to participate in this study. This includes:

• The cost of six doses of the vaccine ( is approximately $1,275) for dogs which are eligible to receive it.* 
• All associated evaluations, surgery, histopathology, bloodwork, imaging, chemotherapy, and adverse events related to chemotherapy.
• Complications due to vaccine are not expected, but should any arise, the study will pay for those treatments directly associated with the injection site reaction to a maximum of $100.00. No other costs will be covered by the study.

*The study will cover the cost of the vaccine on a case by case basis after thorough review by the study team.

• Contact: Complete the Study Interest Form to see if your dog qualifies and have your referring veterinarian complete the Oncology Referral Form found below.
• Principal Investigator: Dr. Rowan Milner

Background:

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a devastating cancer of large breeds dogs often presenting as an emergency in otherwise healthy dogs. Affected dogs have sudden bleeding into the abdomen or into the sack around the heart. The survival time is short in dogs, even with prompt surgery and chemotherapy. Immunotherapy (e.g. cancer vaccines) may offer hope for improving survival. We have extensive experience with the GD2/GD3 vaccine in dogs with other types of cancer such as melanoma and osteosarcoma. For example, our research findings in 690 dogs with melanoma show improved survival even in dogs with advanced disease. We also have shown that the GD2/GD3 vaccine in conjunction with chemotherapy improves time to metastasis (spread of cancer) to the lung and overall survival in dogs with osteosarcoma.