Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Carboplatin chemo causes more blood cell loss in smaller dogs
By Coffee, Calli et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2020·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Carboplatin-induced myelosuppression as related to body weight in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that smaller dogs, especially those weighing less than 10 kg, are at a higher risk of serious blood-related side effects after receiving carboplatin chemotherapy for cancer. In the study, a significant number of these lighter dogs experienced severe drops in white blood cells and platelets, which can lead to complications and require hospitalization. In contrast, larger dogs had a lower incidence of these issues. This information is important for veterinarians when deciding how much carboplatin to give to smaller dogs, as they may need a different approach to minimize risks.
People also search for: dog chemotherapy side effects · carboplatin for small dogs · dog blood cell count after chemotherapy
Abstract
Smaller 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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32452107/