Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is an exciting new field in cancer therapy, with significant strides being made in the human oncology field. Immunotherapy involves stilumating the body's own immune system to try to fight the cancer. In veterinary oncology we have a commercially available vaccine that was developed for treatment of dogs with melanoma (http://www.petcancervaccine.com/). Some forms of chemotherapy (such as metronomic chemotherapy) can also affect the immune system to help treat cancer. Numerous additional immunotherapy options are currently being researched (including the Listeria vaccine for osteosarcoma; https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/171201b.aspx) and may be available for widespread veterinary use in the near future.