Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood monocyte and lymphocyte counts linked to cancer-free time
By Sottnik, J L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2010·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of blood monocyte and lymphocyte count and disease-free interval in dogs with osteosarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 69 dogs with bone cancer (osteosarcoma) that underwent amputation and chemotherapy were studied to see if blood cell counts could predict how long they would stay cancer-free. The findings showed that higher levels of certain white blood cells, specifically monocytes and lymphocytes, were linked to a shorter time without disease. This means that checking these blood cell counts before treatment could help veterinarians give better advice about the likely outcomes for dogs with this type of cancer.
People also search for: dog osteosarcoma prognosis · blood test results for dog cancer · dog cancer treatment options
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Identification of biomarkers that predict outcomes in dogs with osteosarcoma (OSA) would be valuable to veterinarians and owners. Leukocyte numbers in peripheral blood are associated with outcomes in some types of cancer in humans. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that increased numbers of monocytes would be associated with reduced disease-free interval (DFI) in dogs with OSA. ANIMALS: Medical data from 69 dogs with appendicular OSA treated with amputation and chemotherapy were selected for study. METHODS: Retrospective study. Statistical associations were assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Information about DFI and leukogram values, tumor location, and serum alkaline phosphatase was abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS: Higher numbers of circulating monocytes (>0.4×10(3)  cells/μL) and lymphocytes (>1.0×10(3)  cells/μL) before treatment were found to be significantly (P<.05) associated with shorter DFI in dogs with OSA. Other parameters associated with poor outcomes were increased alkaline phosphatase, primary tumor location, and age. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These results indicated that pretreatment evaluation of monocyte and lymphocyte counts provided prognostic information for dogs with appendicular OSA. Notably, most animals in this study had monocyte counts within the normal reference range, indicating that variations within the reference range of leukocyte values might also have prognostic significance.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20840314/