Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival after palliative treatment for dogs with metastatic
By Alonso-Miguel, D et al.·Published in New Zealand veterinary journal·2021·Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of palliative therapy, alone or in combination with toceranib phosphate, in dogs diagnosed with metastatic or recurrent beta-cell neoplasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs diagnosed with insulinomas, a type of pancreatic tumor that causes low blood sugar, were treated with either palliative care alone or a combination of palliative care and a medication called toceranib. The dogs receiving the combination treatment lived significantly longer, with a median survival of about 399 days compared to just 67 days for those on palliative care alone. While some dogs experienced mild gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea from the toceranib, these side effects were manageable by pausing the medication. Overall, combining toceranib with palliative care proved to be a beneficial option for extending the lives of these dogs.
People also search for: dog insulinoma treatment · toceranib for dogs · palliative care for dog cancer
Abstract
AIMS: To compare survival in dogs with recurrent or metastatic insulinomas that were treated with palliative therapy, alone or in combination with toceranib phosphate and to assess tolerability of the combined therapy in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dogs diagnosed with insulinoma were retrospectively identified in the records of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Complutense (Madrid, Spain). Diagnosis of insulinoma was based on clinical signs of hypoglycaemia, concentrations in serum of glucose <3.3 mmol/L and insulin >10 μIU/mL and presence of a pancreatic mass on diagnostic imaging. Dogs were treated surgically or medically, according to clinical stage established by imaging techniques, and monitored with blood and urine analyses monthly and abdominal ultrasonography every 3 months until death. Dogs that presented with metastatic disease at diagnosis or with recurrent hypoglycaemia after surgery were treated, according to the owner's decision, with one of two treatment protocols: palliative therapy alone (control group, n=7: diet, prednisone, famotidine or omeprazole, ±octreotide) or palliative therapy in combination with toceranib (treatment group, n=5; median dose of toceranib 2.52 mg/kg). Overall survival time (OST) and adverse events were compared between the two treatment groups. RESULTS: The OST was longer in the treatment group (median 399, min 125, max 476 days) compared to the control group (median 67, min 23, max 387 days; p=0.042). Dogs in the treatment group had a higher incidence of grade 1-2 gastrointestinal toxicity (diarrhoea) than dogs in the control group (p=0.010). In all cases, gastrointestinal toxicity was solved by temporarily discontinuing toceranib. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of toceranib combined with palliative treatment in dogs with suspect metastatic or recurrent insulinomas increased survival time and was adequate tolerated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33944682/