Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chemotherapy neutropenia linked to longer remission in dogs
By Wang, S L et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2015·National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is associated with prolonged remission duration and survival time in canine lymphoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 50 dogs with lymphoma received chemotherapy, and some developed neutropenia (low white blood cell count) as a side effect. Surprisingly, the dogs that experienced neutropenia had much longer remission times and overall survival compared to those that did not. Specifically, dogs with neutropenia had a median remission time of 812 days and a survival time of 952 days, while those without neutropenia had only 219 days of remission and 282 days of survival. This suggests that inducing neutropenia through careful chemotherapy dosing might actually help dogs with lymphoma live longer and stay in remission longer.
People also search for: dog lymphoma treatment · chemotherapy side effects in dogs · neutropenia in dogs · dog cancer survival rates
Abstract
Myelosuppression is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine whether chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a positive prognostic indicator for remission and survival time in dogs with lymphoma. Fifty dogs with multicentric lymphoma received CHOP-based (C-cyclophosphamide; H-hydroxydaunorubicin; O-vincristine; P-prednisolone) chemotherapy using conventional dosages. Complete blood counts were recorded to determine the presence or absence of neutropenia after treatment. Toxicity, remission, and survival times were recorded and analysed. Thirteen dogs had chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and 37 had no neutropenia during the study period. No statistical difference was found between the groups for signalment or the presence of historical negative prognostic factors, except for bodyweight (P = 0.02). The median first remission times in the neutropenia and no neutropenia groups were 812 and 219 days, respectively (P <0.01). The median survival times of dogs in the neutropenia and no neutropenia groups were 952 and 282 days, respectively (P <0.01). Dogs with lymphoma that had chemotherapy-induced neutropenia exhibited significantly increased remission and survival times compared with dogs without neutropenia. Chemotherapeutic dosages may be adjusted individually to induce neutropenia without severe adverse effects in order to achieve longer remission and survival times.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26004824/