Copies of the monograph are available from: American Heartworm Society, P.O. Box 667, Batavia, IL 60510; 630/844-9697.
Dr. Barbara E. Kitchell, oncologist at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, is part of a 10-member task force assembled to address the issue of sarcoma formation at injection sites of commonly used feline vaccines. The task force is made up of representatives from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the Veterinary Cancer Society.
The vaccine task force has proposed a vaccination protocol that will help identify the cause and facilitate the treatment of these sarcomas. The new protocol recommends giving the rabies vaccine in the right rear leg, the feline leukemia virus vaccine in the left rear leg, and the combination FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia virus) vaccine in the right front shoulder. Each vaccine should be given low down in the leg so that if a tumor does arise, the patient can potentially be cured by amputation. Complete records of the vaccination manufacturer, lot number, vaccination site, and subsequent reaction at each site should be kept for each patient. Any occurrences of vaccine-associated sarcomas or other adverse reactions should be reported directly to the vaccine manufacturer and to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Information about the USP Practitioners' Reporting Program and a sample submission form can be found in JAVMA, Vol. 208, No. 3, February 1, 1996, pp. 361-363.
"It will take at least five years for the data to come in and to get to the scientific information needed to understand this problem," said Dr. Kitchell. "At the present time, we don't know which type of vaccine or even which component of which vaccine is involved."
To conduct a prospective study, 71,000 cats-1,000 for each of the 71 licensed vaccines for cats in the United States-would have to be vaccinated and followed over 3 years. Retrospective studies have been hampered by incomplete records of manufacturers, lot numbers, and vaccination sites. It is important to get as many cases together for trials as possible, and the vaccination protocol is the best way to do this.
For more information: JAVMA, Vol. 210, No. 3, February 1, 1997, pp. 310-311; or Vaccine Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force, c/o Dr. James R. Richards, Cornell Feline Health Center, Ithaca, NY 14853.