BCG emulsion immunotherapy of equine sarcoid.

The study assesses a treatment method involving the injection of a specific emulsion into horses with sarcoids, a common skin tumour among horses. The treatment resulted in a complete regression of the tumour in 59% of cases and partial regression in 18% of cases, most frequently with a single treatment. Larger tumours or horses with multiple tumours were less responsive to the therapy.

Introduction and Research Objective

• This study primarily aims at evaluating the efficacy of intralesional injection treatment on equine sarcoids, which are a prevalent type of skin tumour in horses.
• The treatment involves the use of a double emulsion that contains inactivated bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) organisms.

Methodology

• The researchers applied the treatment to 61 horses suffering from sarcoids.
• The injected emulsion was introduced directly into the tumour (intralesional).

Results

• The treatment demonstrated promising results with a significant number of horses experiencing tumour regression.
• Out of 61 horses treated, 36 (approximately 59%) showed complete regression, meaning the tumour completely disappeared.
• In 11 cases, equivalent to 18% of the total studied cases, there was a partial regression. This means the tumour size decreased significantly, although it did not completely disappear.

Limitations

• The treatment did not respond uniformly across all cases.
• Horses with larger tumours or multiples sarcoids usually did not respond positively to this therapy. This suggests that tumour size and number may play a significant role in the treatment’s efficacy.
• The majority of cases required only one treatment session, but the study does not elaborate on the necessary treatment frequency for stubborn or non-responsive cases.

Conclusion

• The study finds value in the examined treatment method for sarcoids in horses and suggests it could be a viable option, especially for smaller or single tumours.
• However, more investigation is required to understand the factors influencing treatment responsiveness, like the tumour size and multiple sarcoids presence, and to improve therapy efficacy for such cases.