Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prognosis and markers for subcutaneous mast cell tumors in 43 dogs
By Marconato, Laura et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2023·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Subcutaneous mast cell tumours: A prospective multi-institutional clinicopathological and prognostic study of 43 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 43 dogs with subcutaneous mast cell tumors (ScMCTs) were treated after their tumors were surgically removed. Some dogs had cancer spread to their lymph nodes and received a chemotherapy drug called vinblastine, while others were monitored without immediate treatment. Overall, the prognosis was good, with a 90% survival rate at one year, but about 18% of the dogs experienced tumor progression, and some did not survive due to cancer-related issues. The study found that certain tumor characteristics could help predict which dogs might have a more aggressive form of the disease.
People also search for: dog mast cell tumor treatment · subcutaneous mast cell tumor prognosis · vinblastine for dog cancer · dog cancer survival rates
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine subcutaneous mast cell tumours (ScMCTs) reportedly have a good prognosis. However, biomarkers that can be used to predict outcome are currently limited. METHODS: A multicentre prospective study was conducted to identify new prognostic markers. Dogs with a first occurrence of ScMCT were enrolled upon primary tumour removal and regional lymphadenectomy. In the absence of metastasis, dogs were monitored, while dogs with overtly metastatic lymph nodes (histological node 3, HN3) received adjuvant vinblastine. RESULTS: Forty-three dogs were enrolled: 15 (34.9%) had at least one HN3 lymph node and received vinblastine, and 28 (65.1%) were monitored. Three tumours harboured exon 8 and 9 c-kit mutations. Eight (18.6%) dogs experienced tumour progression, and five (11.6%) died of MCT-related causes. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 90% and 77%, respectively. Variables significantly associated with an increased risk of progression included high cytograde, a mitotic count (MC) greater than 4/10 high-power fields (hpf) and Ki67-index greater than 23. An MC greater than 4/10 hpf was also associated with an increased risk of tumour-related death. LIMITATIONS: Regional rather than sentinel lymphadenectomy was performed in these dogs. Dogs were enrolled in oncology referral centres, constituting a different population compared to previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: ScMCTs have a good prognosis. However, the metastatic rate at admission was higher in this study than previously reported, and a subset of tumours were associated with a fatal outcome despite multimodal treatment. Proliferative activity and cytograding may predict more aggressive behaviour in ScMCTs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37224084/