Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prednisone tapering after brain tumor radiation in dogs
By Strasberg, Jason R et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A prospective evaluation of succinct prednisone tapering after brain tumor irradiation in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 55 dogs with brain tumors undergoing radiation treatment were given either a rapid or slow taper of prednisone, a steroid medication, to see which method helped them recover better. The rapid taper allowed 84% of the dogs to stop taking prednisone within about 41 days, compared to only 50% of the dogs on the slow taper who took an average of 117 days to reduce their dosage. Both groups had similar rates of needing to restart prednisone later, and the dogs on the rapid taper maintained a stable quality of life after treatment. This suggests that many dogs may not need long-term prednisone after radiation therapy.
People also search for: dog brain tumor treatment · prednisone tapering for dogs · dog radiation therapy side effects
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To ameliorate anticipated or ongoing neurological deficits, dogs undergoing brain tumor irradiation often are prescribed lengthy courses of prednisone PO during and after radiotherapy (RT). This practice can contribute to unwanted corticosteroid-associated morbidity and may be unnecessary. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether long-term corticosteroid dependency can be minimized by use of succinct prednisone tapering. ANIMALS: Fifty-five pet dogs undergoing brain tumor irradiation. METHODS: Nineteen dogs were treated using a "rapid-taper" protocol wherein corticosteroid dose reduction began 0 to 20 days after completing RT. Outcomes were compared with a retrospectively studied control group ("slow-taper"; N = 36 dogs) in which corticosteroids were tapered more slowly according to individual clinician recommendations. RESULTS: Patient demographics were similar between groups. Mean time to lowest prednisone dose was 41 days postirradiation in the rapid-taper group and 117 days in the slow-taper group (P = .003). In the rapid-taper group, 15 of 19 dogs (84%) were completely tapered off prednisone, vs 18 of 36 (50%) in the slow-taper group (P = .04). Rates at which corticosteroids had to be reinstituted later were similar for the 2 groups (approximately 1 in 3 dogs). Adverse effect rates were similar for the 2 groups. Although no comparable questionnaire-derived data were available for the "slow-taper" group, overall and neurologic quality of life remained stable after RT in the rapid-taper group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: For many dogs, lengthy courses of PO prednisone are avoidable after intracranial RT. Future efforts should aim to identify which dogs benefit most from accelerated prednisone tapering.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39122668/