Jihee Hong, Jeong-Min Lee, Ji-Young Lee, Han-Joon Lee, Dong-Kwan Lee, Joong-Hyun Song, Kun-Ho Song. J Vet Clin 2023;40:445-51. https://doi.org/10.17555/jvc.2023.40.6.445

Canine urothelial carcinoma (UC) is commonly managed with NSAIDs alone or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Clinical evidence for subcutaneous KLH-based immunotherapy in canine UC is lacking. We describe two client-owned dogs with clinically diagnosed lower urinary tract UC managed with NSAIDs, Immucothel®, and selenium supplementation after their owners declined cytotoxic chemotherapy. Case 1 was an 11-year-7-month-old castrated male Maltese with a bladder-neck/proximal-urethral lesion. A presumptive diagnosis was based on a positive veterinary bladder tumor antigen test, cytologic urothelial proliferation with dysplasia, compatible serial imaging, and exclusion of metastatic disease; CADET® BRAF and BRAF-PLUS assays were negative. Piroxicam (0.3 mg/kg PO q24h) was administered from 22 February 2023 through December 2024. The dog received Immucothel® (1 mg SC near the right inguinal lymph node) with intravenous selenium (200 µg/kg diluted 1:1 in saline over approximately 40 min), followed by oral selenium. Serial CT and ultrasonography during follow-up showed persistent localized mural thickening without detectable regional or distant metastasis. Case 2 was an 11-year-old neutered male Poodle with a BRAF V595E-positive urethrovesical-junction lesion managed with firocoxib and the same multimodal protocol. Serial ultrasonographic measurements fluctuated during approximately two years of follow-up, including during changes in NSAID administration and booster interval, without documented metastatic progression. No treatment-associated adverse event required permanent discontinuation in either dog. Because both dogs received concurrent therapies, response assessment was not standardized, histopathologic confirmation was unavailable, and no comparator was included, the contribution of KLH-based immunotherapy cannot be determined. These cases should be interpreted as descriptive clinical observations rather than evidence of efficacy.

Kim S, et al. J Vet Sci. 2025 May;26(3):e40. https://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.24338

Canine urothelial carcinoma (UC) is commonly managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), alone or combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Evidence supporting subcutaneous keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) in canine UC is lacking. We describe two client-owned dogs with presumptive lower urinary tract UC managed with NSAIDs, KLH, and selenium after cytotoxic chemotherapy was declined. Case 1 was an 11-year-7-month-old castrated male Maltese with bladder-neck/proximal-urethral thickening. A positive veterinary bladder tumor antigen test, compatible serial imaging, and low-cellularity urine cytology showing suspected urothelial hyperplasia with dysplasia supported clinical suspicion; however, BRAF and BRAF-PLUS assays were negative and histopathology was unavailable. Case 2 was an 11-year-old neutered male Poodle with a BRAF V595E-positive urethrovesical-junction lesion on imaging, without histopathologic confirmation. Both dogs received NSAIDs, Immucothel^® (1 mg subcutaneously), intravenous sodium selenite (200 μg/kg), and oral selenium (100 μg/dog q24h). Serial CT and ultrasonography documented persistent localized abnormalities over prolonged follow-up, but measurements obtained by different modalities were not treated as directly comparable. Adverse events were assessed retrospectively and not prospectively graded using VCOG-CTCAE criteria. Because the diagnoses were presumptive and the interventions were concurrent and uncontrolled, the independent contribution, efficacy, and safety of KLH cannot be determined. These cases are descriptive and hypothesis-generating.

Jihee Hong, Han-Joon Lee, Dong-Kwan Lee, Kun-Ho Song. Korean J. Vet. Serv. 2024;47:1-7. https://doi.org/10.7853/kjvs.2024.47.1.1