Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Calcitriol helps chemo and targeted drugs fight dog mast cell tumors
By Malone, E K et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2010·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) enhances mast cell tumour chemotherapy and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor activity in vitro and has single-agent activity against spontaneously occurring canine mast cell tumours.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with mast cell tumors (a type of skin cancer) were treated with a high-dose oral form of calcitriol, a vitamin D derivative, to see if it could help their chemotherapy work better. The treatment showed promise, as it led to remission in 4 out of 10 dogs, with one dog achieving complete remission and three others showing partial improvement. However, many dogs also experienced side effects that required stopping the treatment. This suggests that while calcitriol may help in treating mast cell tumors, more research is needed to find the best way to use it safely alongside other therapies.
People also search for: dog mast cell tumor treatment · calcitriol for dog cancer · mast cell tumor remission in dogs
Abstract
Calcitriol potentiates the effect of multiple chemotherapy agents in a variety of tumour models. In this study, we examine whether calcitriol increases chemotherapy or tyrosine kinase inhibitor in vitro cytotoxicity in canine mastocytoma C2 cells. We also evaluate the in vivo effect of DN101, a highly concentrated oral formulation of calcitriol designed specifically for cancer therapy, as a single-agent therapy in dogs with mast cell tumours (MCTs). Calcitriol exhibits synergistic, antiproliferative activity when used in combination with CCNU, vinblastine, imatinib or toceranib in vitro. The concentrations required for 50% growth inhibition were generally two- to six-fold lower when the drugs were used in combination than when used individually. High-dose oral calcitriol induced remission in 4 of 10 dogs (one complete remission, three partial remissions), although the majority experienced toxicity, necessitating discontinuation of the trial. Further evaluation of calcitriol in combination therapy for dogs with MCTs is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20691028/