Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chemotherapy lowers infection-fighting cell function in dogs
By LeBlanc, A K et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2015·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serial evaluation of neutrophil function in tumour-bearing dogs undergoing chemotherapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 dogs with lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy showed a decrease in the ability of their immune cells (neutrophils) to fight infections shortly after starting treatment. Specifically, these dogs had fewer neutrophils capable of responding effectively to bacteria and other stimuli within the first week of chemotherapy. However, over time, their ability to engulf and destroy pathogens improved. This suggests that while chemotherapy can initially weaken the immune response, some recovery occurs as treatment continues. It's important for pet owners to monitor their dogs for signs of infection during this time.
People also search for: dog lymphoma chemotherapy side effects · dog immune system after chemotherapy · signs of infection in dogs
Abstract
We hypothesized that neutrophil function in tumour-bearing dogs is negatively impacted by chemotherapy. Flow cytometric techniques were used to assess neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytic activities at baseline, 7 and 21 days after induction chemotherapy in 20 dogs with lymphoma. Dogs had a lower percentage of neutrophils exhibiting oxidative burst activity after stimulation with Escherichia coli (day 7; P = 0.009) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (days 7 and 21; P = 0.0003 and P = 0.01, respectively), compared with healthy controls. From day 0 to 7, the percentage of neutrophils exhibiting oxidative burst activity decreased after stimulation with E. coli (P = 0.016) and PMA (P = 0.0006). Induction chemotherapy suppresses the percentage of neutrophils capable of oxidative burst in dogs with lymphoma, with improvement in phagocytic activity over time (P = 0.03). The impact of neutrophil dysfunction on incidence and severity of sepsis in dogs receiving chemotherapy should be investigated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23331512/