Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Steroid dose and length don't affect lymphoma survival in dogs
By Maga, Ilaria et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2025·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dose and Duration of Upfront Steroid Administration Have no Prognostic Impact in Dogs With Multicentric Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with multicentric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) received steroids before starting chemotherapy to help manage their symptoms. While steroids can provide quick relief, this study found that using them upfront did not improve the dogs' long-term outcomes and could even make it harder to diagnose the cancer accurately. The dogs that did not receive steroids before treatment had better survival times. However, those who also received immunotherapy along with chemotherapy had even longer survival rates. It's important for pet owners to discuss the risks and benefits of steroid use with their veterinarian when managing lymphoma in dogs.
People also search for: dog lymphoma treatment · steroids for dog cancer · dog chemotherapy side effects
Abstract
Steroids provide rapid clinical improvement in dogs with multicentric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, their use before chemotherapy can induce chemoresistance and compromise diagnostic yield due to increased apoptotic cells. This retrospective study assessed the impact of steroid dose and duration on flow cytometry (FC) diagnostic yield and clinical outcomes in dogs with DLBCL subsequently treated with chemotherapy. Of 273 dogs diagnosed with DLBCL between January 2014 and March 2024, 67 (24.5%) received steroids before treatment (median dose: 1 mg/kg, range: 0.5-3 mg/kg; median duration 8 days, range: 1-1080 days). In 94.0% of cases, steroids were administered for lymphoma management. All dogs received CHOP-based chemotherapy, and 38 (56.7%) also received immunotherapy. Median time to progression (TTP) and lymphoma-specific survival (LSS) were 143 days (95% CI: 111-175) and 196 days (95% CI: 152-240), respectively. Steroid dose, duration, and cumulative dose had no significant impact on TTP or LSS. However, the addition of immunotherapy was associated with longer LSS (p = 0.023). FC diagnostic yield was lower in steroid-treated dogs compared to 67 non-pre-treated dogs (p = 0.042). However, within the pre-treated group, neither dose nor duration impacted diagnostic yield (p > 0.05). In addition, TTP (p = 0.003) and LSS (p < 0.001) were significantly longer in non-pre-treated dogs compared to steroid-treated dogs. These findings suggest that the detrimental effects of upfront steroids are independent of dose or duration. Given their potential to compromise diagnosis and treatment outcomes, corticosteroids should be used with caution and reserved for cases where clinical benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40624957/