Vaccine Associated Sarcoma (VAS)
Vaccine disease Animal vaccines
Cancer
''My alma mater was the first to recognize VAS in
cats in 1991. The highly aggressive and deadly brosarcoma tumor was appearing
between the shoulder blades, where the rabies vaccine was commonly injected.
Veterinary students of ten years ago were taught to change the injection site
for the rabies vaccination to a cat’s hind leg because a leg could be easily
amputated if a VAS formed.
Dogs can also get VAS at the vaccination site. Today, in a
case of the tail wagging the dog, many veterinary schools are advocating that
the rabies vaccination be given in the end of the tail. Problem solved? Not
really.
Fibrosarcoma is the most common VAS. Other tumor types
include rhabdomyosarcoma, myxosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant histiocytoma
and undi erentiated sarcoma. These tumors are characterized as highly invasive,
rapidly growing and malignant. Often the cancer spreads to the lungs and may
spread to the regional lymph nodes as well.
Villains In Vaccines By Dr. Deva Khalsa
[Media Sept 2002] Vets focus on vaccine, cancer link in pets