Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum amyloid A levels in cats with lymphoma and related health
By Schiavo, Luca et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum amyloid A and other clinicopathological variables in cats with intermediate- and large-cell lymphoma.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with intermediate- and large-cell lymphoma were studied to see if a protein called serum amyloid A (SAA) could help predict their prognosis. The researchers found that SAA levels were higher in cats with lymphoma located outside the nose compared to those with nasal lymphoma. However, SAA levels did not predict how long the cats would survive after treatment. Instead, cats that responded well to chemotherapy lived significantly longer than those that did not, and lower blood cell counts at diagnosis were linked to shorter survival times.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations are increased in cats with lymphoma vs healthy cats; however, the association between SAA concentrations and prognosis in cats with lymphoma is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate if SAA concentrations were different in cats with nasal vs non-nasal lymphoma, if SAA concentrations are prognostic in patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy and if SAA concentrations are correlated with other clinicopathological variables. METHODS: Cats diagnosed with intermediate- or large-cell lymphoma between 2012 and 2022 with SAA concentration data available were included. Associations between tumour site (nasal vs non-nasal), stage, response to treatment and SAA concentration were evaluated using non-parametric statistics. Associations between SAA concentrations and stage with survival time were evaluated using Cox regression analysis. Patients with nasal tumours and those not receiving high-dose chemotherapy were excluded from the survival analyses. RESULTS: Thirty-nine cats were included. Median SAA concentrations were significantly higher in non-nasal compared with nasal lymphoma (42 µg/ml [range <0.3-797] vs <0.3 µg/ml [range <0.3-0.9]; P = 0.026). SAA concentrations did not correlate with tumour stage. Median survival time for patients with non-nasal tumour and undergoing chemotherapy was 49 days (range 2-1726). Responders had a better median survival time than non-responders (273 days [range 43-1728] vs 39 days [range 2-169]; P <0.001), whereas SAA concentrations were not associated with survival time. Lower haematocrit at presentation was associated with a reduced median survival time (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In the population examined, no correlation between serum concentration of SAA and prognosis in patients with lymphoma was identified, while low haematocrit and lack of response to treatment were both found to be associated with survival time. SAA concentrations were elevated in patients with non-nasal lymphoma vs patients with tumours confined to the nasal cavity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36416277/