ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Oncology in Veterinary Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1559519
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Insights in Veterinary Cancer Immunology Volume IIView all 3 articles
Outcomes following autologous implantation of tumor tissue with or without concurrent immunomodulating therapy as a treatment for sarcoids in 50 equids
Provisionally accepted
- New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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This study aimed to describe the effect of single implantation of autologous tumor tissue at inducing clinical regression of equine sarcoids. Special emphasis was placed on the influence of concurrent and subsequent therapies, time-independent outcomes, and associated complications. Descriptive data was obtained from medical records from the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center spanning May 2014 through January 2022. Follow-up was obtained via phone and email surveys. Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Fifty available cases of equids undergoing elective autologous implantation were included for review. Resolution without recurrence was observed in 50% of cases. Horses that had previously not responded to treatment were 77% less likely to demonstrate improvement. After adjusting for other variables, sarcoids on the body had 48% decreased odds of clinical improvement, and the odds of improvement decreased by 11% as tumor number increased. When sarcoids decreased in number after initial treatment, there was a 71% decrease in the odds of recurrence. In two cases (4%), tumors developed at the site of implantation. There was no significant difference in outcome of animals treated with autoimplantation alone or with concurrent antitumoral therapies. Secondary improvement was reported in 47% of cases requiring subsequent treatment due to recurrence (8/17). Autoimplantation was most successful in cases with fewer numbers of tumors and relatively less effective for tumors located on the body or those that have been refractory to historical treatment. Severe complications were rare, and client satisfaction trended with incidence of recurrence. The procedure is technically straightforward and may be beneficial in some cases of equine sarcoids. Further understanding of the effects and possible pathophysiology may guide the development of additional therapies including commercial vaccine.
Keywords: Sarcoid, autologous, autoimplantation, regression, Vaccine
Received: 12 Jan 2025; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Smith, Stewart, Stefanovski and Levine. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Caitlin H Smith, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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