Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lymphoma in young cats under 18 months - symptoms and survival
By Rogato, F et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Clinical characterisation and long-term survival of paediatric and juvenile lymphoma in cats: 33 cases (2008-2022).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 33 young cats, all under 18 months old, were diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. They showed various symptoms depending on the type of lymphoma, with some having tumors in the chest, kidneys, or spread throughout the body. Most of the cats received a combination of chemotherapy treatments, which worked well for many; about half had a complete or partial response to the treatment. While the average survival time was around 9 months, seven cats lived for over two years without significant long-term side effects from the chemotherapy.
People also search for: cat lymphoma treatment · young cat cancer survival · chemotherapy side effects in cats · lymphoma symptoms in kittens
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to describe the clinical presentation, tumour characteristics, responses to chemotherapy protocols and toxicity in a cohort of cats with lymphoma up to 18 months of age. In addition, the probability of long-term (>2 years) survival was explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of client-owned cats aged up to 18 months diagnosed with lymphoma between 2008 and 2022 at five UK-based veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-three cats were included. The most common anatomical forms were mediastinal (42%), disseminated disease (30%) and renal (15%), with all cats having intermediate to large cell lymphoma. Three out of 29 cats tested were positive for FeLV but none for FIV. Twenty-six cats were treated with multi-agent chemotherapy protocols with complete and partial responses seen in 46% and 50% of cats, respectively. For this group, median progression-free survival was 133 days (95% confidence interval [Cl] 67 to 199) and median survival time was 268 days (95% Cl 106 to 430). Complete response to chemotherapy was associated with a longer progression-free survival. Seven cats were considered long-term survivors (>2 years). Chemotherapy was generally well tolerated with none of the long-term survivors suffering from chronic sequelae from cytotoxic treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Paediatric and juvenile cats with lymphoma showed a high response rate to multi-agent chemotherapy protocols with rare significant toxicities. The presence of long-term survivors may suggest a more favourable outcome in a subset of patients.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37565270/