Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiation therapy in the treatment of canine and feline thymomas: a retrospective study (1985-1999).
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2001
- Authors:
- Smith, A N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 17 dogs and 7 cats with thymomas, which are tumors in the thymus gland, to see how well radiation therapy worked. Overall, 75% of the animals showed some response to the treatment, with a few having a significant reduction in tumor size and a small number showing no detectable tumors at all. Even some pets with stable disease, meaning their tumors didn't change much, showed improvements in their symptoms. The average survival time was about 248 days for dogs and 720 days for cats after treatment. This suggests that radiation therapy can be a helpful option for managing thymomas in pets.
Abstract
A retrospective study was performed of 17 dogs and seven cats with various stages of thymoma treated with radiation alone or as an adjunctive therapy. Analysis revealed an overall response rate of 75% (15/20 evaluable cases). Partial (i.e., >50% reduction in tumor size) and complete (i.e., no detectable tumor) responses were included. Complete responses were rare (4/20). Three of five animals with stable disease (i.e., <50% change in tumor size) had improvements in clinical signs, despite lack of measurable response. A median survival time of 248 days (range, 93 to 1,657+ days) was achieved in dogs, and a median survival time of 720 days (range, 485 to 1,825+ days) was achieved in cats. Radiation therapy appears to be useful in the management of invasive thymomas in dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11563450/