Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Histologic grade predicts outcome better than lymph node status
By Guerra, Dina et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2022·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Histologic grade has a higher-weighted value than nodal status as predictor of outcome in dogs with cutaneous mast cell tumours and overtly metastatic sentinel lymph nodes.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 60 dogs with skin tumors called cutaneous mast cell tumors (cMCTs) were treated with surgery and chemotherapy. The study found that dogs with high-grade tumors had a shorter time before their cancer progressed and a lower survival rate compared to those with low-grade tumors. However, even dogs with high-grade tumors had a reasonable prognosis when treated with a combination of therapies. This suggests that a thorough treatment plan can help improve outcomes, even for more aggressive cases.
People also search for: dog skin tumor treatment · mast cell tumor prognosis in dogs · chemotherapy for high-grade mast cell tumors
Abstract
In canine cutaneous mast cell tumours (cMCTs), histologic grade and clinical stage are the most important prognostic factors, with high-grade tumours and metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) significantly influencing the evolution of disease. However, it is uncertain whether histologic grade and clinical stage should be given equal weighting value in patient prognostication and management. Dogs with low- and high-grade cMCTs and at least one overtly metastatic sentinel LN undergoing standardized treatment, consisting of surgical excision of the cMCT, lymphadenectomy and chemotherapy, were retrospectively included. The aim was to determine whether, at the same clinical stage, histologic grade retained prognostic relevance. Sixty dogs were included: 26 had a high-grade cMCT tumour and 34 had a low-grade cMCT. Median follow-up was 367 days (range, 187-748) in the high-grade group, and 1208 days (range, 180-2576) in the low-grade group. Median time to progression was significantly shorter in the high-grade group than in the low-grade group (214 days versus not reached; p < .001), as well as tumour-specific survival (545 days versus not reached; p < .001). On multivariable analysis, a high histologic grade and incomplete margins retained prognostic significance for both tumour progression and tumour-specific death. In dogs with cMCT and at least one overtly metastatic LN undergoing multimodal treatment, histologic grade significantly correlated with outcome. Overall prognosis was not unfavourable, even in the high-grade group, further supporting that a multimodal therapeutic approach, addressing primary tumour and sentinel LN, should be offered. Whether chemotherapy should be incorporated in the therapeutic planning of low-grade cMCTs remains to be defined.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35195937/