Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How prednisone helps shrink mast cell tumors in dogs
By Dos Santos Horta, R et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2018·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of Histological, Immunohistochemical, Clinical and Genetic Prognostic Factors Associated with the Response of Canine Mast Cell Tumours to Glucocorticotherapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 60 dogs with mast cell tumors (a type of skin cancer) were treated with glucocorticoids like prednisone or prednisolone before surgery. After 7 to 14 days of treatment, about 63% of the dogs showed some improvement, while 37% did not respond at all. The dogs that responded better tended to have less advanced disease and lower tumor grades. This suggests that glucocorticoids can be effective for some dogs with mast cell tumors, especially those with more favorable characteristics.
People also search for: dog mast cell tumor treatment · prednisone for dog cancer · mast cell tumor prognosis in dogs
Abstract
Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are one of the most frequent neoplasms in dogs. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in the management of this disease, although no guidelines for their use have been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of MCT prognostic factors with measurable response to GCs. This retrospective study included 60 dogs treated with prednisone or prednisolone prior to surgical biopsy of MCT. Incisional or excisional biopsy was performed 7-14 days after initiation of GC therapy. Histopathology, immunohistochemical labelling for Ki67 and KITr, and polymerase chain reaction for the c-KIT gene were performed. Partial response occurred in 63.3% of cases (38/60), while 36.7% (22/60) did not respond. A response to GCs was correlated with lower stage of the disease, low histological grade, lower pattern of KITr expression and Ki67 score. Response to GCs was positively correlated with well-established favourable prognostic factors.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30502801/