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Leon's letters
The Tragedy of Vaccinations
Part I -  Do Vaccines Cause Cancer?

“Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”

Sir Winston Churchill



The Tragedy of Vaccinations

As always, thank you for visiting Léon’s website.

Before beginning this discussion, I would like to reiterate that I am not a veterinarian, and I am not a doctor. I am, however, just one of countless individuals who was programmed to believe that vaccines are safe, effective and essential for the well-being of our animals and ourselves.

I would also like to state clearly that I am not offering medical advice and I am not proposing a vaccination protocol. I am only asking that you take a few moments to put aside any preconceived ideas regarding the safety, efficacy and necessity of vaccines, and read this account, along with some of the vaccine-related links provided in the Layman’s Literature (1) and Advanced Literature (2) sections of this website.



Do Vaccines Cause Cancer?

In April 2004 my canine companion, Léon, was diagnosed with a high-grade fibrosarcoma (cancer). As stated in his pathology report,

  “This subcutaneous mass is confirmed as a high grade infiltrative fibrosarcoma, with multifocal random necrosis, peripheral lymphoid aggregates, and degree of cellular pleomorphism that are all typical features of postvaccinal sarcomas in cats.” (3)  

Written in less technical terms, the report also says, “the tumor … is histologically identical to postvaccinal sarcomas in cats.” (4)

The veterinarian who examined Léon informed me that a fibrosarcoma is an extremely aggressive form of cancer. Although she advised the immediate removal of the mass, she warned that even if it were removed, the tumour could return quickly and “mushroom” out of control.

Before Léon was operated on, I sought the opinion of a second veterinarian. Not only did this veterinarian confirm everything the first veterinarian had said, but she also told me that she routinely treats animals who suffer from adverse vaccine reactions.

Naturally I was shocked to learn that animals are developing cancer, not to mention a wide variety of other serious illnesses, (5)(6)(7) because of their vaccinations -- vaccinations that are supposed to protect them, not harm them.

After speaking with the veterinarians, I spoke with a representative of Merial, (8) the pharmaceutical company that provided many of Léon’s vaccines. Comments made by this gentleman, who is a veterinarian, made me aware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation. For example, when we spoke in 2004, he said that they have known about feline vaccine-induced sarcomas for approximately fifteen (15) years. He also said that one of the reasons they examined the possibility that vaccines caused the increase in feline sarcomas was the discovery of aluminum deposits at the site of the tumours. Aluminum, he explained, is an adjuvant used to enhance the effectiveness and potency of the vaccine.

Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force (VAFSTF)

In order to have a better understanding of vaccine-induced sarcomas, I began reading about this topic. I learned that the increase in the number of feline sarcomas became so alarming that in November 1996, the Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force (VAFSTF) (9) was created to address this problem.

Over eight years after the formation of the VAFSTF, the article entitled “Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force: Roundtable Discussion - The current understanding and management of vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats” (10) was published in the June 2005 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).

In the VAFSTF: Roundtable Discussion, other veterinarians confirm the aforementioned comments made by Merial’s representative. More specifically, Dr. Mattie J. Hendrick, VMD, DACVP says,

  “… something changed in 1989. Suddenly, we started seeing more sarcomas than the sporadic ones that we would have seen after administration of various injectables. In my opinion, what changed was new formulations for vaccines. In some way, they promoted a more robust, unusual, or exuberant inflammatory response and that led to an increase in the development of sarcomas.” (11)  

In the same article, Dr. Dennis W. Macy, DVM, MS, DACVIM takes Dr. Hendrick’s observations one step further when he says,

  “In 1985, we made a big change in the way cats are vaccinated in this country. We went from the use of a modified-live rabies virus vaccine to an adjuvanted killed virus vaccine. In the same year, an aluminum adjuvanted FeLV vaccine was introduced. Both of those events correspond temporally to the emergence of vaccine-associated sarcomas in the late 1980s.” (12)  

The uniqueness of vaccine-induced sarcomas is another important clue regarding this particular type of tumour. More specifically, in the VAFSTF: Roundtable Discussion, Dr. Wallace B. Morrison, DVM, MS, DACVIM says, “Another interesting aspect is what pathologists tell us about the rather unique histologic appearance of these sarcomas and the ways they differ from other kinds of sarcomas.” (13) In fact, Dr. Hendrick says, “I can pick up a slide, know that the sarcoma is from a cat, look at it, and 99.9% of the time I’m correct in saying it is a sarcoma from a vaccination site.” (14)

Although some claim that vaccine-induced sarcomas occur only in cats, the Merial representative said this problem is also occurring in dogs. His comment is confirmed by Dr. Morrison who, in addition to referencing a canine vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma case study, references a ferret vaccination-site fibrosarcoma case study. Dr. Morrison says,

  “There are also two studies, one in ferrets and one in dogs, on the development of presumptive vaccine-associated sarcomas in other species, and the histologic appearance of sarcomas in those species was similar to what has been seen in cats, including the presence of aluminum in tissues. I believe it is a complete story, and I'm confident that there is an association between vaccine administration and sarcoma development in cats.” (15)  

The Merck Veterinary Manual

For those who require additional proof of the existence, seriousness and aggressiveness of vaccine-induced sarcomas, the article in The Merck Veterinary Manual, entitled “Soft-tissue Sarcomas,” says it all:

  “Three forms of fibrosarcoma are recognized in cats: …and a fibrosarcoma that develops in the soft tissues where cats are commonly vaccinated. This latter neoplasm is being recognized with increasing frequency … An association with rabies and feline leukemia virus vaccinations is better defined than with vaccinations for other viral or bacterial diseases. Aluminum (commonly used in adjuvants) has been identified in vaccine-induced fibrosarcomas, and a prolonged proliferation of fibroblasts in response to the adjuvant may predispose them to undergo neoplastic transformation… The rate of recurrence is >90% for vaccine-associated sarcomas. Even when surgical excision is clinically and histologically complete, recurrence is still the rule.” (16)  

Conclusion

The facts speak for themselves. Vaccines can, and do, cause cancer.

Jeanne, on behalf of Léon, and dedicated to those who have suffered an adverse vaccine reaction.



The Tragedy of Vaccinations
Part I - Do Vaccines Cause Cancer?
Part II - Are We Over-Vaccinating?
Part III - Why Are We Over-Vaccinating?
Part IV - Preventing Adverse Vaccine Events

Click here to return to Letters index page


References:

(1) “Layman’s Literature: Vaccines” -- www.noble-leon.com
(2) “Advanced Literature: Vaccines” -- www.noble-leon.com
(3) Léon: French Bulldog – Surgical Pathology, report of April 24, 2004
(4) Léon: French Bulldog – Surgical Pathology, report of May 10, 2004
(5) “Adverse Vaccine Reactions” by Dr. W. Jean Dodds, DVM -- www.noble-leon.com
(6) “Avoiding Vaccine Reactions in Dogs and Cats” by Craig E. Greene; 28th World Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association: October 24 – 27, 2003: Bangkok, Tailand -- www.vin.com
(7) Books: “What Vets Don’t Tell You About Vaccines” and “Shock To The System” by Catherine O’Driscoll -- www.canine-health-concern.org.uk
(8) “Merial: Our History” -- www.merial.com
(9) “Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force (VAFSTF)” -- www.avma.org
(10) “Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force: Roundtable Discussion - The current understanding and management of vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats” - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA): June 1, 2005, Vol. 226, No.11 -- www.avma.org
(11) Dr. Mattie J. Hendrick, VMD, DACVP -- Ibid
(12) Dr. Dennis W. Macy, DVM, MS, DACVIM -- Ibid
(13) Dr. Wallace B. Morrison, DVM, MS, DACVIM -- Ibid
(14) Dr. Mattie J. Hendrick, VMD, DACVP -- Ibid
(15) Dr. Wallace B. Morrison, DVM, MS, DACVIM -- Ibid
(16) “Soft-tissue Sarcomas” - The Merck Veterinary Manual -- www.merckvetmanual.com





January 2008
 
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