Treatments for Dogs with Hemangiosarcoma

This article focuses on the experimental treatment options for dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

Betty Boop was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. After splenectomy, her mom drove 5 hours to get Betty enrolled in the trial. Today, two years later, Betty is still going strong.

Conventional Therapies:

Conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, have been widely used for decades but have limitations, and sadly this is especially true for hemangiosarcoma.

A two-year old pup, Hanako, was found with advanced hemangiosarcoma on Christmas Day 2016. No treatment options were offered by the vet to her devastated parents.

One way to visualize the efficacy of treatments is by looking at the Kaplan-Meier survival curves that plot the percentage of patients alive over time.

In this example from a retrospective study that looked at 154 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma (see Figure A) the overall prognosis is quite poor with surgery.

When these patient dogs are put into groups based on the clinical stage of the disease (see Figure B), you can see that prognosis is better for dogs in stage 1, but the median survival time is still in the order of months, not years.

Source: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/247/4/javma.247.4.393.xml

Can adding chemotherapy help?

One study compared the survival times of hemangiosarcoma patients who had surgery with those who had surgery and chemotherapy. Adding chemotherapy seems to only add extra few months.

Source: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/247/4/javma.247.4.393.xml

With the help of research and new clinical trials, more hopeful prognosis and survival trends may be possible in the near future.

Experimental therapies for hemangiosarcoma

The following list consists of new therapies being evaluated in clinical trials as well as old therapies (approved for other indications) now applied to hemangiosarcoma, hence available without being qualified for a clinical trial.

Please ask your veterinarian if any of these treatments might be suitable for your pup.

1. Evaluation of a combination of three drugs in dogs with hemangiosarcoma

What is it? The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining doxorubicin or carboplatin and temozolomide with propranolol in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. The use of either doxorubicin or carboplatin alone as a treatment for hemangiosarcoma has been studied, and studies with propranolol (historically used to treat heart disease) have shown promise as an added treatment against hemangiosarcoma, however, survival times still remain quite low.

Recruitment Period:  2025-01-06 - 2028-01-08

Contact:

• Study Contact Name: Paige Neumann 

• Study Contact Email: VROC@utsouthwestern.edu 

• Study Contact Phone: +12146456221

More information: https://veterinaryclinicaltrials.org/study/VCT25005913

2. Scout Out Canine Hemangiosarcoma (SOCH) Study FINISHED RECRUITING

Location: UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine (UC Davis and Colorado State University will begin enrolling soon.)

What is it? UW Veterinary Cancer Center is enrolling dogs with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in a combination standard of care chemotherapy plus vaccine immunotherapy. The study uses Calviri's frame-shift peptide vaccine, developed by Prof. Stephen Johnston and his team at Arizona State University. This trial seeks to stimulate the patient's immune system to detect ("Scout out") and kill cancer cells.

The trial is a blinded, randomized trial.  Half of the dogs will be randomly selected to receive chemotherapy and the anti-cancer vaccine, while the other half will receive chemotherapy and a control vaccine (placebo).

Recruitment Period: From Aug 30, 2024 to Jan 01, 2026

Contact: : (608)-890-0422 or oncclinicaltrials@vetmed.wisc.edu

More information: https://veterinaryclinicaltrials.org/study/VCT24005840

3. Propranolol with doxorubicin

Locations: Anywhere, Chemo + propranolol protocol may be used by any vet who thinks it might help the animal without being part of the official clinical study.

Clinical trial locations: St. Paul, Minnesota (U of Minnesota), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania), West Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue University)

What is it? Early studies have shown that a drug commonly used to treat heart disease, propranolol, can kill hemangiosarcoma cells in the laboratory. The drug has also been effective in reducing disease progression and increasing the survival time in people with angiosarcoma, a cancer very similar to canine hemangiosarcoma as well as effectively treating babies with benign hemangioma. This study will test three dose levels of propranolol along with standard doxorubicin chemotherapy for safety and benefit to dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

(Please note that an increasing number of veterinary oncologists in the US are incorporating chemo+propranolol protocol into the treatment plan)

Data: Retrospective study data has been shared by a veterinary team from South America at the World Veterinary Cancer Congress 2024. Watch our Apr 2 2024 Webinar for more information. Publications for angiosarcoma and angioma for human patients can be found via Google Scholar.

Contact: Dr. Antonella Borgatt, borgatti@umn.edu

More information: z.umn.edu/pettrials/

4. Yale Canine Cancer EGFR/HER2 Vaccine

Locations: The updated locations include Ventura, California (Hope Veterinary Oncology); Edmonds, Washington (Bridge Animal Referral Center); Pullman, Washington (Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital); Salt Lake City, Utah (MedVet Salt Lake City); Cleveland, Ohio (MedVet Cleveland); McMurray, Pennsylvania (MedVet Pittsburgh); Fairfax, Ohio (MedVet Cincinnati); Phoenix, Arizona (IVO Integrative Veterinary Oncology); Chicago, Illinois (MedVet Chicago — currently not enrolling); Richmond, Virginia (Partner Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center); Stamford, Connecticut (Veterinary Cancer Concierge Services); and Columbia, Missouri (University of Missouri — new location).

What is it? Members of the ErbB family of tumor proteins are overexpressed on a number of canine cancers and are often indicative of a poor clinical outcome. It is a novel immunization strategy designed to generate a polyclonal anti-EGFR/HER2 immune response in canine patients with tumors expressing ErbB family proteins. Canine patients were immunized and boosted with a short peptide of the ErbB extracellular domain with shared sequence homology between EGFR, HER2, and HER3. A recent small study has shown that EGFR peptide vaccine may be effective at controlling the progression of hemangiosarcoma in some dogs. (Funded by CCA)

Data: Pilot data mostly for osteosarcoma can be found here and here. Hemangiosarcoma data from a small study was presented at the VCS meetings.

Contact: Mark Mamula, info@ccralliance.org 

More information: https://www.ccralliance.org/yale-status

5. Rapamycin Study

Primary Location: San Diego, California

Veterinary Specialty Hospital - Sorrento Valley

Secondary Locations: Williston, Vermont (Peak Veterinary Referral Center), Waukesha, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center), San Marcos, California (Veterinary Specialty Hospital - North County)

What is it? Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive that has significant anticancer activity. It has been approved for use in several human cancer indications. Anecdotal reports of Rapamycin activity in canine hemangiosarcoma and other cancer types have been made over several years, however, its activity has been unpredictable. Recent genomic analysis of these cancers provides a scientific basis for this sporadic activity based on the existence of several genotypes that may each be uniquely responsive to Rapamycin. Based on its reported tolerability in dogs (alone and in combination with chemotherapy) it is reasonable to now ask if Rapamycin may improve treatment outcomes for dogs with cancer. This study will be evaluating the tolerability of a novel formulation of Rapamycin. The latest version of this study seeks to do so with a novel, oil-based formulation of the drug.

Data: None yet

Contact: Samuel Stewart, scienceconsultancy@ethosvet.com

More information: https://www.ethosvet.com/clinical-study/rapamycin-for-the-treatment-of-cancer-in-dogs/

6. Personalized Therapies for Dogs with Hemangiosarcoma

Primary Location: Woburn, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital

Secondary Locations: Williston, Vermont (Peak Veterinary Referral Center), Waukesha, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center), San Marcos, California (Veterinary Specialty Hospital - North County), Portsmouth, New Hampshire (Port City Veterinary Referral Hospital), Grayslake, Illinois (Premier Veterinary Group - Grayslake), Orland Park, Illinois (Premier Veterinary Group - Orland Park), Chicago, Illinois (Premier Veterinary Group - Chicago), Richmond, Virginia (The Oncology Service - Richmond), Honolulu, Hawaii, (Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center of Hawaii), San Diego, California (Veterinary Specialty Hospital - Sorrento Valley), Wheat Ridge, Colorado (Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital), Somers, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center - Racine), Grafton, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center - Grafton), Lawrence, Massachusetts (Bulger Veterinary Hospital), San Rafael, California (Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of Marin), St Paul, Minnesota (University of Minnesota), Columbia, Missouri (University of Missouri), Auburn, Alabama (Auburn University)

What is it? Ethos-PUSH embarks on a journey to improve the outcome of canine hemangiosarcoma by furthering our understanding of this disease. Dogs confirmed to have hemangiosarcoma will be randomized to receive 1 of 4 treatments. These treatment groups include standard therapies and novel therapies that have been selected as potential targets against previously defined genomic alterations in hemangiosarcoma. Treatment arms will be compared to determine a best protocol, which will serve as the benchmark for future treatment studies. Furthermore, tumor and blood samples will be collected and serve as platforms for nationwide collaborations to improve the molecular understanding of this disease and match molecular biomarkers with treatment response to specific therapeutics. This comprehensive approach is designed to bring about curative outcomes for dogs suffering from this aggressive cancer.

Data: None yet

Contact: Samuel Stewart, scienceconsultancy@ethosvet.com

More information: https://www.ethosvet.com/clinical-study/ethos-precision-medicine-umbrella-study-for-hemangiosarcoma-epush/

7. CAR-T Therapy for Solid Tumors FINISHED RECRUITING

Location: Urbana, Illinois

University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

What is it? The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and activity of genetically-modified immune cells (specifically chimeric antigen receptor T cells, CAR T cells for short) for specifically recognizing and eliminating tumor cells that express a specific surface protein called B7H3 when intravenously infused into pet dogs with spontaneous cancers. CAR-T therapies have been met with great success with human blood cancers and approved for human cancers, but not for solid tumors (for canines or for humans). Collaboration between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois. (Partially funded by CCA)

Data and Publications: Early publication (but without any clinical efficacy) can be found here

Contact: Rebecca Kamerer, rmoss81@illinois.edu

More information: https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Oncology-B7H3-CAR-Tcells-Study.pdf

8. Immunocidin

Location: Anywhere in North America

What is it? A drug that stimulates the immune system with active ingredients consisting of non-pathogenic bacterial cell wall fraction and nucleic acid.

Data: Small studies.

Contact: (613) 308-9788 or info@NovaVive.ca

Anything else? Immunocidin is fully approved by the USDA for mammary tumors. But bacterial therapy may help dogs with different types of cancer including osteosarcoma, transitional cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and hemangiosarcoma. Several successful case studies have been reported.

Contact Novavive and speak with Dr. Miriam Cervantes if you'd like to learn about their experience with hemangiosarcoma. (Partially funded by CCA)

More information: https://www.novavive.ca/canine-research

Also a summary of Immunocidin within the context of bacterial therapies which can be read here.

9. Torigen Vaccine

What is it? Autologous vaccine created from dog’s own tumor cells. 

Important update:

Torigen’s autologous vaccine is now associated with the VimClara™ Autologous Tumor Cancer Vaccine Kit. Instead of ordering a finished vaccine directly from Torigen, the veterinarian prepares the individualized vaccine using the VimClara kit and the dog’s resectable tumor tissue. Product listings describe VimClara as a kit that allows licensed veterinarians to prepare autologous cancer vaccines from resectable tumor tissue in dogs, cats, and other species. It is described as a kit for vaccine preparation, not a conventional off-the-shelf drug or licensed vaccine

Data: The image below shows the Kaplan-Meier survival curves for dogs with metastatic (stage III) hemangiosarcoma.

The overall median survival time for dogs treated with the autologous cancer vaccine was 142 days (range, 61 to 373 days). Moreover, dogs treated with the autologous cancer vaccine showed similar survival rates to those treated with the maximum tolerated dose of chemotherapy, with no adverse events observed during the study.

Contact: 860-519-9956 or https://www.torigen.com/contact-us

Location: Anywhere in the US. Make sure to contact them before surgery.

More information: https://www.torigen.com/

10. Paccal Vet Chemotherapy for dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma

What is it? This is a clinical trial for a unique chemotherapy agent for splenic hemangiosarcoma patients.  Paclitaxel is the drug of choice in humans with angiosarcoma and needs to be re-evaluated in dogs.  Paclitaxel has historically not been well tolerated in dogs in its original formulation.  This new formulation hopes to mitigate those side effects and have efficacy in this disease. 

Primary Location: Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon, Bend, Oregon, USA 

Secondary Locations: Bridge Animal Referral Center (BARC), VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists, Pacific Northwest Pet ER and Speciality Center, Blue Pearl Tacoma, Seattle Veterinary Specialists - Blue Pearl Kirkland, Veterinary Specialty Hospital - North County, Colorado Animal Specialty and Emergency (CASE)

Contact:

• Study Contact Name: James A Perry

• Study Contact Email: jperry@castr-alliance.com

• Study Contact Phone: +15412096960

More Information:

• https://veterinaryclinicaltrials.org/study/VCT24005788

11. Vaccine Study for Dogs with Splenic Hemangiosarcoma

What is it?

This is an interventional trial testing a GD2/GD3 (ganglioside)-targeted cancer vaccine in dogs diagnosed with splenic hemangiosarcoma. Dogs enrolled in the study will undergo splenectomy at the University of Florida, followed by standard-of-care chemotherapy (doxorubicin) and the investigational vaccine.

The vaccine will be administered in six doses spaced approximately three weeks apart, with each vaccine visit occurring two weeks after a chemotherapy session. Dogs may also receive booster doses every six months following the initial series. Blood will be drawn at each visit to assess immune response. The goal is to improve survival and better understand immune responses to tumor antigen vaccines.

Primary Location:

• University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

  
  

More Information: https://veterinaryclinicaltrials.org/study/VCT24005800

12. The effect of a novel mushroom formula on canine oral malignant melanoma.

What is it? A randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter pilot trial evaluating an oral mushroom-derived formulation as an immunotherapy adjunct in dogs diagnosed with oral malignant melanoma. The goal is to stimulate immune response and slow tumor progression or recurrence through natural‑compound immunomodulation.

Locations: Multicenter field study (specific veterinary clinics/university hospitals not publicly listed)

Contact:

• Study Contact Name: Briana McGrath

• Study Contact Email: veterinarymelanoma@gmail.com

• Study Contact Phone: +19709496467

More information: https://veterinaryclinicaltrials.org/study/VCT25005871

Questions? Email us at info@ccralliance

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All information the Canine Cancer Alliance website provides is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always seek guidance from your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding your pet’s health and medical condition.