Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immunotherapy linked to worse survival in French bulldogs with brain
By Arnold, Susan A et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Immunotherapy yields breed-specific worst survival outcomes among three investigated therapies in French bulldogs with high-grade glioma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of French bulldogs diagnosed with high-grade glioma (a type of brain cancer) were treated with immunotherapy, but unfortunately, they had shorter survival times compared to other breeds like boxers and Boston terriers. On average, these French bulldogs lived only about 132 days after starting immunotherapy, which was not significantly better than those receiving palliative care. In contrast, dogs treated with other therapies, such as sonodynamic therapy or stereotactic radiation therapy, lived longer. This suggests that French bulldogs may have unique characteristics that make them less responsive to immunotherapy for this type of cancer.
People also search for: French bulldog brain cancer treatment · high-grade glioma in dogs · immunotherapy for dog cancer · French bulldog cancer survival rates
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: French bulldogs are one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States and are also among breeds with the highest risk for developing high-grade glioma (HGG). With limited treatment options and high translational value for studying canine HGG to advance understanding of human glioblastoma (GB), a variety of novel treatment options have been investigated. In other forms of cancer, immunotherapy has shown promising results, garnering interest in the treatment of HGG. Yet, when an immunotherapy-based clinical trial was conducted, a marked survival disparity in French bulldog patients compared to other breeds was observed. METHODS: This retrospective, multi-institutional study was conducted to examine survival outcomes in immunotherapy-treated French bulldogs compared to closely related breeds, and to French bulldogs treated with several other treatment modalities. RESULTS: French bulldogs treated with immunotherapy experienced significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than boxers and Boston terriers (132 vs. 221 days, respectively). French bulldogs treated with immunotherapy had no significant difference in OS compared to French bulldogs treated palliatively, whereas dogs treated with either a novel therapy involving sonodynamic therapy or stereotactic radiation therapy had significantly longer OS. DISCUSSION: This study provides evidence for an immunotherapy-resistant form of HGG in French bulldogs, suggesting that the breed harbors key molecular differences affecting the tumor and tumor-immune microenvironment and subsequent poor response to treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40177677/