Written by Registered Nutritionist Stephanie Hyland (MSc. RNutr.)
Sarcoids are a type of skin cancer which are unique to horses and other equids. Sarcoids affect between 2 – 8% of the equine population and account for 40% of all equine cancers. The age group most commonly affected is 1 – 4-year-olds however horses of all ages can develop sarcoids. They are a locally invasive tumour which means that they don’t spread to other organs. Fibrosarcoma’s (sarcoids) are non-painful and non-itchy. If your horse has painful lumps, these are often related to infection, and itchy lumps are generally associated with an allergy.
Equine sarcoids are caused via infection with bovine papilloma virus, however, not every horse that is infected with BVP will develop sarcoids as it is only equids with an inherited genetic susceptibility that will develop sarcoids when exposed to BPV. Once these genetically susceptible horses have developed sarcoids, they will always be at risk of developing more even after treatment as the virus incorporates itself into the DNA of infected skin cells and causes those cells to transform into tumour cells.
There is no current evidence to suggest that sarcoids can ‘spread’ from horse to horse, therefore, horses that are affected by sarcoids are not a threat to others.
There are 6 main types of equine sarcoids:
· Occult – least aggressive form.
Occult sarcoids look like an area of altered or missing hair with a mild thickening of the skin. These types of equine sarcoids are commonly found on the nose, side of the face, armpit and groin area.
Occolt sarcoids are commonly found on the nose and side of the horse's face
· Verrucose – slow growing and benign.
Verrucose equine sarcoids have a wart like appearance and are often grey in colour with a scaly surface.
Verrucose equine sarcoids
· Nodular – clearly defined lumps covered by normal skin.
These types of equine sarcoids are usually spherical but may have a wide flat base or a narrow stem-like base and can occur singularly or in groups. Nodular sarcoids tend to get bigger with time but the timescale varies and can be fast or slow and they may change to fibroblastic sarcoids.
Nodular sarcoids tend to get bigger with time
· Fibroblastic – aggressive tumours that grow rapidly.
These tumours are invasive and can invade down into the tissues underneath the horse's skin. As they grow rapidly, they are usually ulcerated and will bleed when traumatised. These sarcoids tend to grow in clusters and have an irregular appearance.
Fibroblastic tumours grow rapidly, they are usually ulcerated and will bleed when traumatised
· Mixed sarcoids – combinations of the above types of sarcoids.
Commonly seen as multiple types of sarcoid present around the horse.
· Malignant sarcoids – uncommon but the most aggressive type.
These types spread locally via lymph vessels producing lines of sarcoids in the skin. There is no effective treatment for this type of equine sarcoid.
Malignant sarcoids spread locally producing lines of sarcoids in the skin
Sarcoids can occur on any location of the horse's body but are most commonly seen on the eyelids, limbs and on the underside of the body. The main problem with sarcoids is the expensive and unguaranteed success of treatment. Other problems can be caused by flies irritating the lesions / the horse, infected sarcoids, the sight of the sarcoid especially if they come into contact with tack which can rub, or if you intend to breed from the horse or intend to sell them.
Sarcoids are unpredictable and therefore there is a vast variety of treatments available. No one single treatment will work for all types of equine sarcoids so individual factors must be considered to select the correct type of treatment. The most successful way of treating sarcoids is to begin treatment when they are small and manageable.
Types of treatment for equine sarcoids include, but are not limited to:
- Surgical options
- Vaccination against Bacillus Camette Guerin (BCG) injected into the tumour
- Chemotherapy
- Topical creams
The recurrence of sarcoids is often reported as one of the biggest problems horse owners face. Preventing the re-emergence of sarcoids as well as the further growth of existing sarcoids are two aims when dealing with horses prone to sarcoid skin cancer.
Targeting these aims through appropriate nutrition can support horses with sarcoids and help horse owners manage the condition. Nutritional management of all horses is vital to support health and well-being however it is not to be used in place of appropriate treatment where this is necessary.
SarVoid™ is ideal for horses with skin imperfections as it provides a blend of traditional ingredients to help support skin health:
Astragalus
Astragalus is a traditional Chinese herb and has been tested on mice with positive results. Mice were injected with Astragalus extracts and through testing, results showed enhanced antibody responses associated with increased Th-cell activity in both normal and immune-depressed mice.
Also, more recent research has been done on the efficacy of Astragalus in enhancing quality of life and reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy in human patients with malignant tumours. Astragalus (by injection) supplemented by chemotherapy was noted to inhibit the development of tumours, elevate immune function, decrease the toxic or adverse effects of chemotherapy, and improve the quality of life in treated patients. Turmeric Curcumin is a naturally occurring yellow pigment present in turmeric and is a potential inhibitor to NF-kB activation (a protein which controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival). Various studies have shown that curcumin displays anti-tumour effects in various solid tumours and potentiates the effect of several chemotherapeutic agents leading to increased sensitivity even in drug-resistant cancer cells.
Red Clover flowers
Red Clover flower extract was investigated in breast cancer challenged mice alongside the chemotherapy drug, DOX. Results showed that red clover flower extract as a dietary supplement, demonstrated synergistic anti-tumour effects with DOX in Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) challenged mice. Red Clover extract delayed the formation of Breast Cancer tumours and increased apoptosis in 4T1 cells by stimulating T-cell cytokines production, reducing Reactive Oxygen species generation by tumour cells, and finally extending the survival of tumour-bearing mice.
Burdock Root
Pharmacological studies showed that Burdock roots have hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenging, and anti-proliferative activities. Recently, anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of lignans from Burdock were described for leukemic cells as well as anti-tumour effects of arctigenin (extract from Burdock) on pancreatic cancer cell lines. This study aimed to determine the in vitro anti-proliferative activity of eight different Burdock root extracts. It was concluded that Burdock root demonstrates antioxidant and human tumour cell anti-proliferative activities in vitro.
Clivers
Clivers also known as Galium Aparine (GA) have demonstrated through several in vitro studies their anti-proliferative effects on leukaemia cells, laryngeal carcinoma and head and neck cancer cell lines. Moreover, it is known that some Galium species are traditionally used for the treatment of cancerous ulcers or breast cancer in Europe and Northern America. In this study, the anti-proliferative effect was examined on human breast cancer cells. Results revealed that GA extract induced different types of cell death in different subtypes of breast cancer cell lines. Therefore, the GA extract may have potential anti-cancer effects against breast cancer cells without impairing normal breast epithelial cells. The ability to induce non-apoptotic cell death besides apoptotic cell death by this plant-derived mixture may enable the killing of apoptosis resistant breast cancer cells.
Black pepper extract
Black pepper extract also known as Piperine has been studied and has been shown to enhance antioxidant systems, increase levels and activity of detoxifying enzymes, and suppress stem cell self-renewal. Moreover, Piperine has been found to inhibit the proliferation and survival of various cancerous cell lines by modulating cell cycle progression and displaying anti-apoptotic activity.
Black pepper extract also enhances the absorption and bioavailability of Turmeric therefore further supporting and maximising the effects of Turmeric within the body. In fact, a study concluded that Curcumin and Piperine separately, and in combination, inhibit breast stem cell self-renewal but do not cause toxicity to differentiated cells. Therefore, these compounds could be potential cancer preventive agents.
Linseed
Linseed supports overall skin and coat health as well as helping to reduce inflammation and support lesioned skin areas.
To learn more about SarVoid™ and to read all of the amazing 5 star review click here>>. If you would like any advice or have any questions please get in touch by calling 0800 585 525, or by emailing [email protected].
"I have only been using this product for a month and a half and already one of my horse’s pretty big sarcoids has shrunk massively!"
- Hannah - 18/09/2024