Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Does doxorubicin chemo after surgery help cats with mammary cancer
By McNeill, C J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2009·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for the treatment of feline mammary carcinoma.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with mammary tumors underwent surgery, with some receiving additional doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. The study found that while the chemotherapy did not show a clear overall benefit compared to surgery alone, cats that had a specific type of surgery (unilateral radical mastectomy) and received chemotherapy lived significantly longer than those who only had surgery. This suggests that while chemotherapy may not be beneficial for all cats with mammary tumors, certain cases might see improved outcomes. It's important to discuss treatment options with your veterinarian to determine the best approach for your cat.
People also search for: cat mammary tumor treatment · doxorubicin for cats · feline cancer surgery options
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline mammary carcinomas (FMC) are locally invasive and highly metastatic tumors. Because of the high metastatic potential, patients often are treated with adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy, but little data exist to evaluate the effect of this strategy. HYPOTHESIS: Adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy improves outcome for FMC compared with surgery alone. ANIMALS: Cats with naturally occurring, biopsy-confirmed FMC treated with either surgery alone (Sx) or with surgery plus adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (Sx + Chemo). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Clinical data were collected and compared to identify differences between groups. Outcome results were determined and compared. Prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-three cats were evaluated, of which 37 were in the Sx group and 36 in the Sx + Chemo group. No differences in clinical data were found between Sx and Sx + Chemo groups. Median DFS times for the Sx and Sx + Chemo groups were 372 and 676 days, respectively (P= .15) and median survival times (ST) were 1,406 and 848 days, respectively (P= .78). For cats that underwent a unilateral radical mastectomy, ST was significantly longer for the Sx + Chemo compared with the Sx group (1,998 versus 414 days, respectively; P= .03). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study did not find a benefit to adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy in cats with FMC. Additional studies are required to determine whether patient subgroups with negative prognostic factors may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19175730/