Search Results
You are looking at 1 - 3 of 3 items for
- Author or Editor: Courtney H. Zwahlen x
- Refine by Access: All Content x
Objective
To determine clinical and pathologic findings in cats with alimentary malignant lymphoma and results of treatment with a combination of prednisone, l-asparaginase, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and methotrexate.
Design
Retrospective study.
Animals
21 cats with alimentary malignant lymphoma.
Procedure
Medical records were reviewed, and information on signalment, clinical history and signs, previous treatments, and results of laboratory tests, thoracic radiography, and abdominal ultrasonography were obtained.
Results
Test results in all cats were negative for FeLV; 3 of 19 were positive for feline immunodeficiency virus. Thirteen tumors were stage III, 7 were stage IV, and 1 was stage V. Diagnosis was confirmed on the basis of microscopic examination of histologic (n = 13) or cytologic (8) specimens. Immunophenotyping was performed on 13 tumors; 10 were T-cell and 3 were B-cell lymphomas. Overall median duration of first remission was 20 weeks. Overall median survival time was 40 weeks. The only factor significantly associated with duration of first remission was whether cats had a complete response following induction chemotherapy; duration of first remission was significantly associated with survival time. Cats tolerated treatment well; only 1 cat had a delay in the treatment schedule because of neutropenia.
Clinical Implications
Use of a multidrug chemotherapeutic protocol that includes l-asparaginase and doxorubicin results in minimal adverse effects and prolonged survival times in cats with alimentary malignant lymphoma. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998;213:1144-1149)
Abstract
Objective—To determine clinical activity and toxic effects of lomustine when used to treat cats with mast cell tumors (MCTs).
Design—Retrospective case series.
Animals—38 cats with measurable, histologically or cytologically confirmed MCTs treated with lomustine at a dosage ≥ 50 mg/m2.
Procedures—Medical records were reviewed to determine response to treatment and evidence of drug toxicoses. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate remission duration.
Results—26 cats had cutaneous MCTs, 7 had MCTs of the mesenteric lymph nodes, 2 had gastrointestinal tract MCTs, 2 had hepatic MCTs, and 1 had MCTs involving multiple organs. Targeted lomustine dosage was 50 mg/m2 in 22 cats and 60 mg/m2 in 16 cats. Median administered dosage of lomustine was 56 mg/m2 (range, 48 to 65 mg/m2), and median number of doses administered was 2 (range, 1 to 12). Seven cats had a complete response and 12 had a partial response, for an overall response rate of 50%. Median response duration was 168 days (range, 25 to 727 days). The most common toxicoses were neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that lomustine had activity against MCTs in cats and was well tolerated. Further, findings suggested that treatment with lomustine should be considered for cats with MCTs for which local treatment is not an option.
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION 4 dogs with a slow-growing mass in the cervical region were evaluated.
CLINICAL FINDINGS All dogs had no clinical signs at the time of the evaluation. There was no apparent evidence of visceral metastases or other primary tumor based on available CT or MRI data for any dog.
TREATMENT AND OUTCOME For each dog, surgery to remove the mass was performed. Histologic examination of the excised tissue revealed a completely excised grade 1 or 2 lymph node hemangiosarcoma. All dogs received adjuvant chemotherapy; 2 dogs underwent curative intent chemotherapy, 1 dog underwent metronomic treatment with cyclophosphamide, and 1 dog underwent metronomic treatment with chlorambucil. The survival time was 259 days in 1 dog; 3 dogs were still alive 615, 399, and 365 days after surgery.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE Primary nodal hemangiosarcoma in dogs is a rare and, to the authors' knowledge, previously undescribed disease that appears to develop in the cervical lymph nodes as a slow-growing mass or masses. Surgical excision and adjunct treatment resulted in long survival times for 3 of the 4 dogs of the present report. Given the aggressive biologic behavior of hemangiosarcomas in other body locations, adjunct chemotherapy should be considered for affected dogs, although its role in the cases described in this report was unclear. Additional clinical information is required to further characterize the biologic behavior of this tumor type and determine the expected survival times and associated risk factors in dogs.
