Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Acute myeloid leukemia in 35 dogs diagnosed by blood tests and bone
By Davis, L L et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2018·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective review of acute myeloid leukaemia in 35 dogs diagnosed by a combination of morphologic findings, flow cytometric immunophenotyping and cytochemical staining results (2007-2015).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after showing signs of not wanting to eat and being unusually tired. The vet found swollen lymph nodes and rapid breathing during the exam, along with significant blood abnormalities. Treatment with chemotherapy and prednisone helped some dogs, leading to improved survival times, with one dog living for 121 days after diagnosis. However, the overall prognosis for dogs with AML is still very poor, and further research is needed to find better treatments.
People also search for: dog leukemia symptoms · mixed-breed dog not eating · chemotherapy for dog cancer · prednisone for dog leukemia
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an uncommon, rapidly progressive neoplasm in dogs. The aim of this retrospective study was to characterize the clinical presentation, haematologic findings, diagnostic imaging results, treatment and survival time of a contemporary cohort of dogs with AML. Diagnosis was based on >20% blasts in bone marrow or blood identified as myeloid based on morphologic findings, flow cytometric immunophenotyping and cytochemical staining. Medical records of 35 dogs diagnosed with AML from 2007 to 2015 were included. Most dogs presented with inappetence (66%) and lethargy (57%) and physical examination findings of peripheral lymphadenopathy (74%) and tachypnea (62%). Common haematologic findings were quantifiable circulating blasts (85%; median blast count 35 700/μL; range: 300-276 500/μL), anaemia (median haematocrit 34%; range: 11%-52%) and thrombocytopenia (median 57 000/μL; range: 9000-252 000/μL). Bicytopenia and pancytopenia were each found in 44% of dogs. Follow-up information was available for 34 dogs. The overall median survival time from diagnosis was 19 days (range: 1-121 days). Clinical progression in some dogs was not as rapid as previously reported. Haematologic responses to various chemotherapeutics were documented in 3 dogs, with associated survival times of 62, 103 and 121 days. Dogs treated with prednisone or a combination of chemotherapy and prednisone had improved survival compared to dogs that received symptomatic care only (P < .0001). Our results show canine AML has an overlapping clinical presentation with lymphoma. The prognosis for canine AML remains extremely guarded. Further studies are needed to optimize therapeutic regimens for dogs with AML.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29239119/