Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Carboplatin chemo causes more blood cell drops in small dogs
By Coffee, Calli et al.·Published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology·2020·Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas USA, United States·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Carboplatin‐induced myelosuppression as related to body weight in dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs undergoing chemotherapy with carboplatin for cancer were studied to see how their body weight affected their risk of serious side effects. Smaller dogs, especially those weighing less than 10 kg, were found to be at a higher risk of developing severe drops in white blood cells and platelets, which can lead to serious health issues. In fact, nearly 61% of the smallest dogs experienced these severe side effects compared to only 17% of larger dogs. This suggests that veterinarians should be cautious when dosing carboplatin for smaller dogs to minimize these risks.
People also search for: dog chemotherapy side effects · carboplatin dosage for small dogs · why is my dog losing weight after chemo
Abstract
AbstractSmaller dogs are known to have an increased risk of chemotherapy‐induced myelosuppression for doxorubicin, mitoxantrone and melphalan. This retrospective study aimed to determine if dogs <15 kg and <10 kg experienced greater degrees of myelosuppression following treatment with carboplatin chemotherapy compared with dogs ≥15 kg. One hundred and one dogs treated with carboplatin for a variety of malignancies were retrospectively analysed. Eight dogs (61%) weighing <10 kg, three (38%) weighing 10 kg to <15 kg and 14 (17%) weighing ≥15 kg experienced a grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. Five dogs (38%) weighing <10 kg, two (25%) weighing 10 kg to <15 kg and 13 (16%) weighing ≥15 kg experienced a grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. Dogs <10 kg were significantly more likely to develop a grade 3 or 4 neutropenia following carboplatin than dogs ≥10 kg (3.5 RR; 95% CI, 1.9‐6.3;P < .001). Dogs <15 kg were also significantly more likely to develop a grade 3 or 4 neutropenia than dogs ≥15 kg (3 RR; 95% CI, 1.6‐5.6;P= .004). Dogs <10 kg were significantly more likely to develop a grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia than those dogs ≥10 kg (2.5 RR; 95% CI, 1.1‐5.6;P= .006). Hospitalization was significantly more likely for dogs <10 kg vs ≥10 kg (P= .014) as well as for dogs <15 kg vs ≥15 kg (P= .039). This study demonstrates an increased risk of carboplatin‐induced myelosuppression in dogs <15 kg, and particularly those <10 kg. This information should be considered by clinicians when making decisions regarding the initial carboplatin dose for smaller canine patients, especially those <15 kg.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12622