Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival and symptoms in 23 dogs with pancreatic cancer
By Pinard, Christopher J et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2021·Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical outcome in 23 dogs with exocrine pancreatic carcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 dogs diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic carcinoma (a type of pancreatic cancer) showed symptoms like loss of appetite, tiredness, vomiting, and stomach pain. Unfortunately, most of these dogs had a very short survival time, with many being euthanized just one day after diagnosis due to the aggressive nature of the disease. At diagnosis, nearly 80% of the dogs had cancer that had already spread to other parts of the body. The study highlights the importance of early detection, but it remains unclear how effective treatments like surgery or chemotherapy are for these dogs.
People also search for: dog pancreatic cancer symptoms · dog vomiting and lethargy · treatment for dog cancer · exocrine pancreatic carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
Exocrine pancreatic carcinoma is uncommon in the dog and the veterinary literature surrounding the disease is minimal. Twenty-three cases of canine exocrine pancreatic carcinoma were reviewed in a retrospective manner to obtain information on clinical presentation, behaviour and survival associated with the disease. Presenting clinical signs were nonspecific and included anorexia, lethargy, vomiting and abdominal pain. The overall median survival time was only 1 day but was confounded by the large number of dogs that were euthanized shortly after diagnosis. Metastatic disease was detected in 78% of cases at the time of diagnosis, attesting to the aggressive nature of the disease. Neither lymph node metastasis, tumour size nor tumour location had an impact on overall survival. Only one patient was a previous diabetic who is contrary to reports of the disease in people and felines. This retrospective study reaffirms the need for early detection measures to optimize disease control. However, the benefits of therapy with surgery or radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy remain to be elucidated in dogs with exocrine pancreatic carcinoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32803885/