July 20, 2024
We heard back from the closest clinic running the “Yale EGFR/HER2 Vaccine” clinical trial. It’s in Richmond, so about a 3-hour drive. I have a follow-up post about the appointment here.
Here are the trial requirements:
To be enrolled in the Yale EGFR/HER2 vaccine clinical trial, patients must meet the following criteria:
- Have a diagnosis currently being considered for the trial (right now it is limited to osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and transitional cell carcinoma)
- Have an expected 3-month or longer prognosis
- May NOT be on past or current immunotherapy, or be enrolled in any other clinical trials (namely cancer-directed therapies such as Torigen vaccine, ELIAS ECI vaccine, and Immunocidin as examples; other therapies that are used for allergy and pain management such as Cytopoint and zoledronate ARE allowed)
- May NOT be on steroids during the initial trial period (a wash out period prior to vaccination for patients currently on steroids is advised, and then no steroids permitted during a minimum of 6-8 weeks from enrollment date)
- It’s strongly advised that Apoquel also not be used (wash-out and restrictions similar to steroids – Cytopoint therapy may be used as an alternative for allergy dogs)
Concurrent or prior chemotherapy* and radiation ARE allowed, in addition to supplements recommended for cancer control and immune support for ongoing management. (*excluding some novel targeted drugs from FidoCure – these are considered on a case-by-case basis)
To formally enroll for the Yale trial, the following scans/tests are required on the day of the first vaccination OR immediately prior within a 7-day window:
- a set of 3-view thoracic radiographs
- CBC (complete blood count)
- chemistry panel
- urinalysis
Timeline of required visits:
- Day 0: Exam, 1st vaccination, and blood collection
- Day 21: Exam, 2nd vaccine, and blood collection
- Day 40-50:* blood collection only
- Day 90:* 3-view thoracic radiographs and blood samples
- Day 180:* 3-view thoracic radiographs and blood samples
- Day 270:* 3-view thoracic radiographs and blood samples
* These visits can be done at your local vet, with the blood then shipped to your trial clinic
The trial emphasizes that the follow-up tests are very important for the clinical trial to be successful in documenting efficacy of treatment — further stating that, unfortunately, many patients have not responded after the 2nd vaccine visit.
This makes me sad. …Ethically speaking — IMHO — anyone not planning to go through with the follow-up tests should really opt not to participate and allow someone who wants to adhere to the requirements to take their place. This is about helping dogs around the world, too — and if they don’t get the necessary trial data from each participant, then that’s not contributing to the greater good.
Unfortunately, this trial is not funded, so there are participation expenses, even though the drug, itself, is provided free-of-charge. Prior to the visit, they listed the approximate costs for visits at this particular clinic, Partner Oncology (Richmond, VA):
- Initial visit (consultation fee with full exam to clear for trial enrollment) – $195
- Vaccine administration fee (this would be charged at each vaccine visit) – $70
- Baseline CBC/chemistry/urinalysis for enrollment – $285
- Thoracic radiographs (initial 3 view set with radiologist review for enrollment, and recheck sets at 3-months, 6-months, and 9-months) – $400
- Recheck exam fee (this is the exam fee at the 2nd vaccine visit) – $120
- Technician visit fee (charged at the day 40-50 visit for serum collection and brief study exam) – $80
- Sedation (if needed for enrollment diagnostics) – $100-200
For additional info and to see participating clinics, visit: https://www.ccralliance.org/yale-status
This is a follow-up to a previous post on treating Cat’s cancer through nutritional improvements.
Her holistic veterinarian referred me to a website called Balance.it where you can formulate free, custom-balanced recipes by selecting preferred ingredients. Since Cat’s recipes need to be tailored for cancer, I needed the vet’s approval to unlock this specialty feature (at no additional cost).
Perhaps naive: I hadn’t realized homemade diets could be so vitamin-deficient, but Balance.it offers a supplement powder to add to homemade food to…well…balance it. (It’s pricey, though: ~$80 for a 600g pack that goes quickly, so if you know a good but more affordable alternative, drop me a note.) The website warns of an odor, but I haven’t noticed it, and neither has Cat because she still scarfs down her fancy feasts of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken & eggs, organic veggies, beef organs, wild rice, and coconut oil.
She seriously eats better than we ever have.
I batch-cook everything separately in a Ninja Foodi XL using the pressure cooker option — protein for 5 minutes and veggies for 3 — taking care not to overcook, since that can create carcinogens. I then mix the different lots of cooked food together (in a big ole cauldron of sorts) to make about a week and a half of food at once. At meal time, I also add a teaspoon of Icelandic Fish Oil for dogs (<< this one has the lowest stink-factor of all I’ve tried so far).
Since she’s underweight and at risk for bloat, I feed her three small meals a day.
TBH, making her food is time-consuming as hell, but it’s something I can control, which is good when so much feels out of my hands. And admittedly, hacking away at organ meat like a scene straight out of the movie American Psycho is strangely cathartic. …Oh well. Whatever helps you cope, right?! 🤷♀️
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A special thanks to The Canine Cancer Alliance for the loads of information you’ve provided me. Without this invaluable resource, this blog would not be possible — and we wouldn’t have heard about this amazing vaccine. We are so grateful! 
