Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart tumor lives long after surgery and chemo
By Closa, J M et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1999·Hospital Ars Veterinaria, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pericardial mesothelioma in a dog: long-term survival after pericardiectomy in combination with chemotherapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A six-year-old male crossbred dog was brought in showing signs of right-sided heart failure, which means he was having trouble breathing and possibly swelling in his abdomen. Tests revealed fluid around the heart, but initial checks didn’t show any cancer. After draining the fluid multiple times, surgery was performed to remove part of the heart's outer layer, and a biopsy confirmed he had pericardial mesothelioma, a type of cancer. The dog then received chemotherapy, which caused some side effects like low white blood cell counts and hair loss, but after treatment, he remained healthy and free of disease for 27 months.
People also search for: dog heart failure symptoms · pericardial mesothelioma treatment · dog chemotherapy side effects · crossbred dog cancer survival
Abstract
A six-year-old male crossbred dog was presented with clinical signs of right-sided heart failure. Echocardiography demonstrated a pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade, while pericardiocentesis and cytology did not reveal any evidence of malignancy. Pericardial drainage was performed twice over a period of three months to resolve haemodynamic impairment before a subtotal pericardiectomy was performed. Biopsy of parietal and visceral pericardium confirmed the diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma. Intrathoracic cisplatin combined with intravenous doxorubicin were administered, although neutropenia, mild azotaemia and alopecia were noted as adverse reactions to these drugs. Intravenous cisplatin was repeated 45 days later after the signs of nephrotoxicity had resolved. The dog was still free of disease after 27 months. Intrathoracic chemotherapy after pericardiectomy and early diagnosis are recommended to improve prognosis, having achieved long-term survival in the present case.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10476526/