Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiotherapy with or without chemo for cats with soft tissue sarcomas
By Hahn, Kevin A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2007·Gulf Coast Veterinary Oncology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of radiotherapy alone or in combination with doxorubicin chemotherapy for the treatment of cats with incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas: 71 cases (1989-1999).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 71 cats with soft tissue sarcomas that were not completely removed by surgery received either just radiation therapy or radiation combined with doxorubicin chemotherapy. The cats that received both treatments had a longer period without disease symptoms, averaging about 15 months compared to just under 6 months for those who only had radiation. However, the overall survival time did not differ significantly between the two groups. This suggests that while doxorubicin may help keep the cancer at bay longer, it doesn't necessarily extend the cats' lives overall.
People also search for: cat soft tissue sarcoma treatment · doxorubicin for cats · cat cancer radiation therapy
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the addition of doxorubicin chemotherapy affected the outcome of cats with incompletely excised, nonvisceral soft tissue sarcomas undergoing postoperative radiotherapy. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 71 cats. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed for clinically relevant data on cats that underwent postoperative radiotherapy for treatment of incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas with or without concurrent doxorubicin chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was performed on an alternate-day schedule, with a total dose of 58.8 to 63 Gy delivered in 21 fractions. Doxorubicin was administered every 21 days for 3 to 5 cycles. Follow-up information was obtained by means of physical examination or through telephone conversations with refer-ring veterinarians or owners. RESULTS: Median disease-free interval with concurrent radiotherapy and doxorubicin chemotherapy (15.4 months; range, 2.4 to 44.9 months) was significantly longer than median disease-free interval with radiotherapy alone (5.7 months; range, 1.0 to 50.8 months). However, survival time was not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that doxorubicin chemotherapy may play a role in extending the disease-free interval in cats undergoing radiotherapy for treatment of incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17764436/