Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in dogs, and while chemotherapy can often put the disease into remission, it is rarely curative. This study is investigating whether a noninvasive technology, High-Intesity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), can safely destroy part of a cancerous lymph node and stimulate the immune system to help fight the cancer throughout the body.
HIFU uses precisely focused ultrasound energy to generate heat that kills cancer cells within a targeted region, without surgery or radiation. Beyond directly killing tumor cells, this process may release tumor antigens and danger signals, "waking up" the immune system to recognize and attack lymphoma cells wherever they are.
In this trial, we will treat one enlarged lymph node with HIFU in dogs who have not yet received chemotherapy. We will then carefully analyze changes in the treated lymph node, an untreated lymph node, and the blood to see if the immune system is activated. All dogs will then receive a full course of standard CHOP chemotherapy at Purdue.
The potential benefits for participating dogs include receiving an innovative treatment at no cost, which may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and potentially help the immune system keep the cancer under control longer. There are no placebos in this trial.
Screening and Baseline Testing:
Owners will first meet with our oncology team to discuss standard treatment options. If interested in the trial, dogs will undergo:
Study Procedures:
Once enrolled, the following will be provided at no cost:
Owners will be responsible for costs related to:
Not Actively Recruiting - Open recruitment expected October 2025
Pet owners and veterinarians interested in this trial should contact Ms. Lindsey Fourez (Oncology Clinical Trial Coordinator) via email (lfourez@purdue.edu) or by phone 765-494-1130 and leave a voicemail for callback.
We recommend scheduling an appointment for evaluation with our team, and specifically mention the name of the trial (High Intesity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Lymphoma in Dogs). The visit will allow us to determine if the trial is the best option for your dog and whether they are eligible or not. If we determine that the trial is not the best option for your pet, we will be happy to assist with other treatments. A written referral from your veterinarian is required to schedule appointment.
Dr. Shawna Klahn, Associate Professor, Oncology
Dr. Nick Dervisis, Associate Professor, Oncology
Cancer vaccines have potential to re-train the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. The vaccine in this study trains the immune system to recognize a protein that cancer cells use to block the immune system, Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1). Once trained, the immune system will prevent the interaction between PD-L1 on cancer cells and immune cells, releasing the immune "brakes", allowing the immune system to once again recognize and kill cancer cells.
Targeting PD-L1 is an immunotherapy strategy classified as "immune checkpoint inhibitor" therapy, which has dramatic anticancer effects in human cancer patients. Jimmy Carter, for example, benefited from a drug in this class to clear his metastatic melanoma several years ago, although not all people and not all cancers respond as well. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are expected to help dogs with cancer, but more knowledge is needed. This new vaccine has been developed specifically for dogs and has already been studied cell culture, in rodents, and in lab dogs but has not been studied in pet dogs with cancer.
In this study, the goals are to evaluate safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. All enrolled dogs will receive 3 treatments of the vaccine given into the muscle at the dose that has been determined to be safe and effective at stimulating the immune system in healthy lab dogs.
The advantages for a dog participating in this trial is that they will receive a new treatment that is expected to help fight cancer in dogs, at a cost that is lower than the cost of other therapies. There are no placebos in in this study. The advantages for the Purdue team is that we will learn important information about which cancers may be best to include in the next studies of this vaccine and lead to development and availability to all dogs with that cancer.
Physical exam, lab work (CBC, chemistry, urinalysis), biopsy of tumor, CT scan. The cost of these tests would be out-of-pocket for the owner.
This study is expected to last approximately five months. No other treatments can occur during this time, including herbal, complementary, alternative medicine, or integrative medicine treatments.
If you dog's cancer begins to grow with the PD-L1 vaccine treatment, or if your dog develops bothersome side effects, or does not feel well, then he or she would go "off study" and could receive other types of therapy. Once going off study, you (the owner) would need to pay for the other therapies.
Although we hope each dog will live a long time with good quality of life, we know each dog will reach the end of their life eventually. You are asked to allow a necropsy when your dog dies whether the death is due to cancer or some other condition. Examining the cancer tissues after death is very beneficial in helping us understand how the new drug worked at the molecular/cell signaling level, how it affected the immune system, and how to make it work even better.
There are 3 vaccine treatments given into the muscle 3 weeks apart (days 0, 21, and 42 of the study). During these visits, an exam and blood work will be performed to monitor for progression of their cancer or any changes in blood cell counts or liver or kidney functions. Additional blood will also be taken to evaluate whether the vaccine has been able to stimulate the body to make antibodies against PD-L1, as well as identify any biomarkers that will be able to predict which patients respond to the vaccine and which may not.
Monitoring for Response to Treatment:
At specific timepoints, all dogs will have a CT scan and biopsy of their tumor to determine if their cancer is responding to treatment. This will happen at 3 weeks, 7 weeks, and 5 months of the study time period. This will occur under general anesthesia. Please plan to spend the majority of the day at the hospital during CT scan/biopsy days to allow for anesthesia planning and recovery.
Open and Actively Recruiting
