Vaccine-associated Feline Sarcoma

vaccine-associated feline sarcoma, malignant tumour of cats that develops at the site of a vaccine injection. The disease was described in 1991, but its low incidence (about 5 cases in 10,000 vaccinated cats) has limited evaluation of the problem. Although lumps can occur at injection sites in many animals, progression to a highly invasive sarcoma appears to occur only in cats. The time for tumour development following injection ranges from three months to three years. The cause of the tumours is unknown. Studies have indicated that occurrence is not limited to a single vaccine type, brand, or antigen and is not related to injection technique. Treatment, which includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, has not proved especially successful. The risk of tumour development in a vaccinated cat is much less than the risk of disease in an unvaccinated cat; nevertheless, vaccinations should be given only for diseases present in a particular cat’s environment.