How effective is Oncept?
Complete surgical removal of the primary tumor followed by administration of the Oncept® vaccine results in a median survival time of approximately 1.5 years, with 30-40% off dogs surviving more than 2 years.
How expensive is Oncept?
The protein stimulates an increased immune response in the dog, tricking its immune system into attacking the cancerous melanocytes. Oncept costs about $2,800 for a series of four shots.
What is Oncept vaccine?
An innovative canine melanoma vaccine called ONCEPT is now available for dogs like yours. ONCEPT has been used in dogs with stage II or stage III canine oral melanoma to support surgery and/or radiation therapy and prolong survival time.
How does the Oncept vaccine work?
How does it work? A. ONCEPT alerts the immune system to the presence of melanoma proteins, which results in the immune system fighting the cancer cells. In conjunction with surgery and/or radiation to treat the initial tumor, this immune response may help extend the survival time for most dogs.
Is melanoma curable in dogs?
Digital melanomas that are not located on the nail bed and have benign characteristics (low mitotic index) can be potentially cured with surgery alone. Oral melanomas: The size of a melanoma and stage of the disease (presence of metastasis) directly affects the survival time.
How much does the canine melanoma vaccine cost?
Vaccine: The vaccine itself costs approximately $1,000 to $1,500 per dose, with a minimum of four initial doses recommended and later one booster vaccine every six months.
What does melanoma in dogs look like?
Malignant melanomas look like raised lumps, often ulcerated, and can also look like gray or pink lumps in the mouth. Nail bed malignant melanomas, on the other hand, show up as toe swelling and possibly even loss of the toenail itself and destruction of underlying bone.
Can dogs get malignant melanoma?
Malignant melanoma. Just as in people, malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer in dogs that affects pigmented cells known as melanocytes. Dogs often develop benign tumors in pigmented cells that do not metastasize, which are called melanocytomas. These tumors are found on areas of the dog’s body that have hair.
How does the melanoma vaccine work in dogs?
The Merial melanoma vaccine for dogs consists of DNA encoding the gene for the human melanocyte protein tyrosinase. When administered to dogs, the vaccine triggers the dog’s immune system to mount an immune response against the human tyrosinase protein.
How common is melanoma in the mouth?
In a review of the large studies, melanoma of the oral cavity is reported to account for 0.2-8% of melanomas and approximately 1.6% of all malignancies of the head and neck. In some studies, primary lesions of the lip and nasal cavity also are included in the statistics, thereby increasing the incidence.
Is oral melanoma flat?
They could be flat or elevated with an erythematous border around it. Oral melanoma may appear in various forms including pigmented macule, pigmented nodule, or a large pigmented exophytic lesion or an amelanotic variant of any of these three forms.