Can Chemotherapy Negatively Affect the Specific Antibody Response toward Core Vaccines in Canine Cancer Patients?

settings Order Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Can Chemotherapy Negatively Affect the Specific Antibody Response toward Core Vaccines in Canine Cancer Patients? by Paola Dall’Ara [ORCID] , Joel Filipe * [ORCID] , Chiara Pilastro , Lauretta Turin [ORCID] , Stefania Lauzi [ORCID] , Elisa Maria Gariboldi and Damiano Stefanello [ORCID] Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS), University of Milan, Via Dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(4), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10040303 Received: 20 March 2023 / Revised: 10 April 2023 / Accepted: 18 April 2023 / Published: 20 April 2023 (This article belongs to the Section Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology) Download Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Simple Summary The life expectancy of dogs has doubled in past decades. However, this positive effect has been accompanied by a concomitant increase in neoplasms. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of antiblastic chemotherapy on the specific antibody response toward core vaccines in cancer-bearing dogs. Twenty-one patients with different types of malignancies were sampled before, during, and after different chemotherapy protocols to determine their actual levels of seroprotection against CPV-2, CDV, and CadV-1. No statistically significant changes in antibody titration emerged for any of the chemotherapy protocols used, suggesting that chemotherapy does not have an evident immunosuppressive effect on the post-vaccine antibody response. Abstract The life expectancy of our pets has been getting longer in recent years due to new therapeutic opportunities, better nutrition, and better diagnostic approaches. This positive effect, however, has been accompanied by a concomitant increase in neoplasms, particularly in canine patients. Therefore, veterinarians inevitably face new issues related to these diseases, poorly or never investigated in the past, such as the possible side effects resulting from chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and how chemotherapy influences the antibody response against CPV-2, CDV, and CAdV-1 in dogs vaccinated before starting chemotherapy. Twenty-one canine patients with different types of malignancies were sampled before, during, and after different chemotherapy protocols to determine their actual levels of seroprotection against CPV-2, CDV, and CadV-1 by using the in-practice test VacciCheck. Differences related to sex, breed size, type of tumor, and chemotherapy protocol were evaluated. No statistically significant changes in antibody protection emerged for any of the chemotherapy protocol used, suggesting that, contrary to expectation, chemotherapy does not have a marked immunosuppressive effect on the post-vaccine antibody response. These results, although preliminary, may be useful in improving the clinical approach to the canine cancer patient, helping veterinarians fully manage their patients, and enabling owners to feel more confident about their pets’ quality of life.