Safety of administering the canine melanoma DNA vaccine (Oncept) to cats with malignant melanoma – a retrospective study

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luminita Sarbu ◽  
Barbara E Kitchell ◽  
Philip J Bergman

Objectives A xenogeneic human tyrosinase DNA vaccine was developed for treatment of dogs with oral malignant melanoma (Oncept; Merial). No studies have evaluated the safety or efficacy of this vaccine in cats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of the canine melanoma vaccine in cats diagnosed with melanoma. Methods Medical records were reviewed from cats diagnosed with malignant melanoma and treated with the canine melanoma DNA vaccine (Oncept). Data regarding signalment, melanoma location, treatments received, vaccine adverse effects and cause of death were collected. Results A total of 114 melanoma vaccines were administered to 24 cats. Seven cats (11.4%) had clinical adverse effects from a total of 13 vaccines classified as grade 1 or 2 based on the Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group’s common terminology criteria for adverse events v1.1. These included pain on vaccine administration, brief muscle fasciculation, transient inappetence, depression, nausea and mild increase in pigmentation at the injection site. Nineteen cats were deceased at study close. The most common cause of death was melanoma (14 cats). Hematological and biochemical changes were observed in six cats, five of which had concurrent disease or treatments that likely caused or greatly contributed to the laboratory abnormalities found. Therefore, these adverse events were considered unlikely to be caused by the melanoma vaccine. One cat had transient grade 1 hypoalbuminemia, which was possibly caused by the vaccination but not thoroughly evaluated. Conclusions and relevance The canine melanoma DNA vaccine can be safely administered to cats, with minimal risk of adverse effects.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad O. Khokhar ◽  
Jacob Kettle ◽  
Amruth R. Palla

Frequently described immune-mediated adverse effects of immune therapy include dermatological complications, hepatitis, colitis, pneumonitis, and endocrinopathies. As utilization of pembrolizumab and related agents continues to expand both in the available indications as well as duration of exposure, there remains a significant potential to uncover previously undescribed adverse events. From a dermatological standpoint, 39% of patients receiving pembrolizumab therapy experience some form of skin-related drug toxicity [Naidoo et al.: Ann Oncol 2015;26: 2375–2391]. We describe a case of pembrolizumab-induced disabling autoimmune ectodermal toxicity.


Author(s):  
Barbara J. Mangold ◽  
Jennifer E. Flower ◽  
Kristine E. Burgess ◽  
Elizabeth A. McNiel ◽  
Jeffrey C. Phillips ◽  
...  

Abstract CASE DESCRIPTION A 25-year-old 4.4-kg male aquarium-hatched African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) was evaluated because of a raised 1.5 × 0.5-cm pigmented mass extending from within the right naris noted 2 days earlier. CLINICAL FINDINGS The penguin had a raised pigmented mass extending out from the right naris and onto the upper beak. Histologic examination of excisional biopsy specimens confirmed a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. A treatment plan including administration of meloxicam, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy was initiated. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Treatment with meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) was initiated and continued for a total of 45 weeks; however, the medication was discontinued for a period of 6 weeks because of the risk of toxic effects in the chick that the penguin was feeding at that time. The penguin underwent local hypofractionated radiation therapy and received 4 once weekly 8-Gy fractions of radiation (total radiation dose, 32 Gy). The penguin was administered a canine melanoma vaccine transdermally every other week for 4 doses, with a booster injection given 7 months after the first dose. Treatment with the vaccine appeared to have no adverse effects. The penguin’s pre- and postvaccination tyrosinase-specific antibody titers were measured with an anti–human tyrosinase-specific ELISA, and a 3-fold titer increase indicated a positive humoral immune response to the canine melanoma vaccination. The penguin died of unrelated causes 54 weeks after initial diagnosis, and there was no evidence of metastasis on necropsy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE These case findings suggested that vaccination with a canine melanoma vaccine may be a safe and useful adjunct treatment for management of malignant melanoma in penguins.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroto Takeuchi ◽  
Satoru Konnai ◽  
Naoya Maekawa ◽  
Satoshi Takagi ◽  
Hiroshi Ohta ◽  
...  

Cancer cells can evade host immune systems via multiple mechanisms. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is an immunosuppressive cytokine that induces regulatory T cell (Tregs) differentiation and is involved in immune evasion mechanisms in cancer. The inhibition of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway can suppress cancer progression and metastasis through the modulation of anticancer immune responses. However, to best of our knowledge, no implementation of treatments targeting TGF-β1 has been reported in dog cancers. This study aimed to examine whether TGF-β1 is upregulated in canine cancers. We measured TGF-β1 concentrations in culture supernatants of canine melanoma cell lines and in serum samples from dogs with oral malignant melanoma. TGF-β1 production was observed in several cell lines, and serum TGF-β1 levels were elevated in dogs with oral malignant melanoma. Interestingly, the addition of recombinant TGF-β1 to canine peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures decreased Th1 cytokine production and increased differentiation of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ lymphocytes, suggesting that TGF-β1 is immunosuppressive in canine immune systems. We developed a decoy receptor for TGF-β, namely TGF-βRII-Ig, by identifying an open reading frame of the canine TGFBR2 gene. TGF-βRII-Ig was prepared as a recombinant fusion protein of the extracellular region of canine TGF-βRII and the Fc region of canine IgG-B. As expected, TGF-βRII-Ig bound to TGF-β1. In the presence of TGF-β1, the treatment with TGF-βRII-Ig increased Th1 cytokine production and decreased the differentiation of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ lymphocytes. Our results suggest that TGF-βRII-Ig competitively inhibits the immunosuppressive effects of TGF-β1 and thereby activates immune responses. This study demonstrated the potential of TGF-βRII-Ig as a novel biologic for canine melanoma.


2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Mariann Harangi ◽  
Noémi Zsíros ◽  
Lilla Juhász ◽  
György Paragh

Statin therapy is considered to be safe and rarely associated with serious adverse events. However, a significant proportion of patients on statin therapy show some degree of intolerance which can lead to decreased adherence to statin therapy. The authors summarize the symptoms, signs and frequencies of the most common statin-induced adverse effects and their most important risk factors including some single nucleotide polymorphisms and gene mutations. Also, they review the available approaches to detect and manage the statin-intolerant patients. Orv. Hetil., 2013, 154, 83–92.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (31) ◽  
pp. 2830-2842
Author(s):  
Masanao Inagaki ◽  
Toshiyuki Kanemasa ◽  
Takaaki Yokota

Opioids are widely used for pain management in moderate-to-severe pain. However, opioids are associated with adverse events, such as constipation and emesis/vomiting. To reduce these undesired effects, a structure–activity relationship study of morphinan derivatives was conducted, and a promising lead compound with inhibitory effects on opioid receptors was obtained. Further improvement in the potency and pharmacokinetic profiles of the lead compound led to the discovery of naldemedine, which showed anti-constipation and anti-emetic effects against these adverse events that were induced by morphine without influencing morphine’s analgesic effect. Naldemedine was launched in Japan and the USA in 2017 and in the EU in 2019, for treating opioid-induced constipation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 204209862110128
Author(s):  
Hanan Khalil ◽  
Dimi Hoppe ◽  
Nabil Ameen

Background: Retrospective analyses of large databases of treated patients can provide useful links to the presence of drug misuse or rare and infrequent adverse effects, such as agranulocytosis, diabetic ketoacidosis or neuroleptic malignant syndrome. The aim of this study is to describe the adverse effects to antipsychotics reported in the Australian Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN). Methods: Data were collected from the DAEN – a spontaneous reporting database. The database, which covered the period from January 2004 to December 2017, was obtained from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) website ( www.TGA.gov ). The drugs selected for this investigation are the following: aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, paliperidone, risperidone, ziprasidone, quetiapine, haloperidol and pimozide. All data were analysed descriptively. Comparison of reporting and management of adverse events between adults (older than 20 years) and children (5–19 years) was undertaken using chi squared test, where p < 0.05 is significant. Results: A total of 7122 adverse events associated with the antipsychotics aripiprazole, clozapine, haloperidol, olanzapine, paliperidone, pimozide, quetiapine and risperidone were reported to the TGA between January 2004 and December 2017. On average, there were 2.6 adverse events reported for each case. The most common adverse event reported for antipsychotics was neuroleptic malignant syndrome. There were no significant differences in the number of co-medications, formulations, indications, therapeutic dose, hospital admission and overdose among the antipsychotics between paediatric and adult populations. However, there were significant differences between causality, death and the management of adverse events between adult and paediatric populations (5–19 years) ( p < 0.05, chi squared test). Conclusion: The antipsychotic drug associated with the highest adverse events in adults was clozapine, followed by olanzapine. The most common adverse event in adults, and reported with a number of antipsychotic drugs, was neuroleptic malignant syndrome. In children, the highest numbers of adverse events reported in the database were associated with risperidone, clozapine and olanzapine. Plain language summary Adverse events reported of antipsychotics Background: Retrospective analyses of large databases of treated patients can provide useful clues to the presence of drug misuse or rare and infrequent adverse effects associated with antipsychotics. The drugs selected for this investigation are the following: aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, paliperidone, risperidone, ziprasidone, quetiapine, haloperidol and pimozide. Methods: All data were analysed descriptively and investigated for any associations between the variables collected. Comparison of reporting and management of adverse events between adults (older than 20 years) and children (5–19 years) was undertaken using chi squared test, where p < 0.05 is significant. Results: The antipsychotic drug associated with the highest adverse events was clozapine, followed by olanzapine. In children, the highest numbers of adverse events reported in the database were associated with risperidone, clozapine and olanzapine. The most common adverse event in adults, and reported with a number of antipsychotic drugs, was neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Conclusion: There were significant differences between causality, death and the management of adverse events between adult and paediatric populations (5–19 years).Keywords: Antipsychotics, adverse effects, adverse events, safety


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