Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with liver neuroendocrine cancer treated with chemotherapy
By Morgan, Elizabeth et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2019·From Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Treated with Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male neutered Australian cattle dog was brought to the vet with a large mass in his abdomen. Tests showed multiple suspicious lesions in his liver, indicating a rare type of cancer called primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. The dog started a chemotherapy treatment plan that included doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, which he tolerated well and showed stable disease for several months. Unfortunately, after about 15 months of treatment, the cancer progressed, and the dog was euthanized. This case highlights a rare cancer in dogs and a potential treatment approach.
People also search for: dog abdominal mass treatment · Australian cattle dog liver cancer · chemotherapy for dog cancer
Abstract
A 7 yr, 6 mo old male neutered Australian cattle dog cross presented to a referral hospital with a large abdominal mass. An abdominal ultrasound revealed multifocal lesions throughout the liver, which were suspicious for intrahepatic metastasis, with no evidence of extrahepatic metastatic disease. Cytology indicated neoplasia of epithelial origin, with neuroendocrine neoplasia the primary suspicion. The patient was started on a maximally tolerated chemotherapy protocol of doxorubicin and metronomic cyclophosphamide. Stable disease was found on repeat abdominal ultrasounds, and the patient tolerated the protocol well. On completion of five doxorubicin doses, the dog was continued on metronomic cyclophosphamide and meloxicam. Progressive hepatic disease was found at 10 mo. The patient was euthanized 15.5 mo (465 days) after commencing treatment. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry (synaptophysin) performed on liver collected postmortem indicated (primary) hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. Primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas are rare in dogs, and there is no standard of care for treatment. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma treated with high-dose doxorubicin and metronomic cyclophosphamide.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30870605/