Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neutrophil function and counts in dogs with cancer after chemo
By Ravanbakhsh, Arefeh et al.·Published in Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire·2021·Department of Veterinary Pathology (Ravanbakhsh, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Assessment of neutrophil function in canine cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and correlation with neutrophil numbers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with cancer, including lymphoma, were studied to see how chemotherapy affected their immune cells called neutrophils. After starting treatment, these dogs showed a significant decrease in the ability of their neutrophils to fight infections, both in how they responded to threats and how well they could engulf harmful particles. This decrease was observed 7 to 10 days after chemotherapy began. The findings suggest that while chemotherapy is necessary for treating cancer, it can weaken the immune system's response in dogs, making them more vulnerable to infections during this time.
People also search for: dog cancer chemotherapy side effects · lymphoma treatment for dogs · neutrophil function in dogs
Abstract
Decreased neutrophil function following administration of chemotherapy has been reported in dogs with lymphoma. The first objective of our study was to determine if neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytic activity are affected by chemotherapy 7 to 10 days following initiation of treatment in dogs with lymphoma and non-lymphoma malignancies. The second objective was to determine if there is a correlation between neutrophil numbers and neutrophil function before or after initiation of chemotherapy. Flow cytometric assessment of neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytosis following stimulation withwas performed in 9 dogs diagnosed with lymphoma and 17 non-lymphoma tumor-bearing dogs pre- and post-chemotherapy, as well as 14 tumor-free control dogs. Spearman rank correlation was performed to determine if blood neutrophil numbers and neutrophil function were significantly correlated. Lymphoma patients showed significantly reduced percentage neutrophil oxidative burst post-chemotherapy compared to healthy controls as well as compared to pre-chemotherapy values (= 0.0022 and= 0.0020, respectively). Lymphoma patients also exhibited significantly reduced neutrophil phagocytosis activity post-chemotherapy compared to controls and pre-chemotherapy values (= 0.0016 and= 0.014, respectively). Dogs with non-lymphoma malignancies also showed a significant decrease in both percentage oxidative burst and phagocytosis post-chemotherapy compared to pre-chemotherapy values (= 0.00040 and= 0.029, respectively). Neutrophil numbers and function were not significantly correlated. The results of the study suggest that chemotherapeutic treatment decreases neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytic activity 7 to 10 days post-treatment in dogs with various malignancies. Furthermore, neutrophil numbers cannot be used to predict neutrophil function.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33883822/