Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cholesterol levels in dogs with bone cancer and survival links
By Leeper, H et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2017·Oregon State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Preliminary evaluation of serum total cholesterol concentrations in dogs with osteosarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 64 dogs with osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) had their cholesterol levels checked to see if they were different from healthy dogs and those with broken bones. The study found that nearly half of the dogs with osteosarcoma had high cholesterol levels, while only a small number of the other dogs did. Interestingly, higher cholesterol levels were linked to a better chance of survival for these dogs. This suggests that monitoring cholesterol could be important for understanding the prognosis in dogs with osteosarcoma.
People also search for: dog osteosarcoma treatment · high cholesterol in dogs · dog cancer survival rates
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine if total serum cholesterol concentrations were altered in dogs with osteosarcoma. To evaluate association of total serum cholesterol concentration with clinical outcomes in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, multi-institutional study on 64 dogs with osteosarcoma. Control population consisted of dogs with traumatic bone fractures (n=30) and healthy patients of similar age and weight as those of the osteosarcoma cases (n=31). Survival analysis was done on 35 appendicular osteosarcoma patients that received the current standard of care. Statistical associations were assessed by univariable and multi-variable analysis. Information about age, sex, primary tumour location, total cholesterol concentration, monocytes and lymphocyte counts and alkaline phosphatase were also included. RESULTS: Total cholesterol was elevated above the reference interval (3·89 to 7·12 mmol/L) (150 to 275 mg/dL) in 29 of 64 (45·3%) osteosarcoma-bearing dogs, whereas similar elevations were found in only 3 of 30 (10%) fracture controls (P<0·0001) and 2 of 31 (6·5%) similar age/weight controls (P=0·0002). Elevated total cholesterol was significantly associated with a reduced hazard ratio (0·27, P=0·008) for overall mortality in dogs with osteosarcoma. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that elevated total cholesterol is associated with canine osteosarcoma and may have prognostic significance.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28660727/