Pfizer has just released a new chemotherapy drug for mast cell tumor (MCT) called Palladia (toceranib phosphate), which has just received approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Being that mast cell tumor is one of the most common types of canine skin tumors, this is a great breakthrough for our four-legged canine friends. In fact, 1 out of every 5 cases of canine skin tumors is MCT. This new drug is approved to treat MCT with or without regional lymph-node involvement.
"This cancer-drug approval for dogs is an important step forward for veterinary medicine," says FDA's Bernadette Dunham, DVM, PhD, in a prepared statement. "Prior to this approval, veterinarians had to rely on human oncology drugs, without knowledge of how safe or effective they would be for dogs. Today's approval offers dog owners, in consultation with their veterinarian, an option for treatment of their dog's cancer."
This drug is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and it's mechanism of action (how it works) is by killing tumor cells and by cutting off the blood supply to the tumor. Preliminary studies have shown a statistically significant difference in tumor shrinkage when compared with a placebo. As with all drugs, there are some potential side effects though - these include diarrhea, decrease or loss of appetite, lameness, weight loss and blood in the stool (per FDA reports).