Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival of dogs with advanced lung cancer treated with low-dose chemo
By Polton, G et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2018·North Downs Specialist Referrals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survival analysis of dogs with advanced primary lung carcinoma treated by metronomic cyclophosphamide, piroxicam and thalidomide.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with advanced lung cancer (primary pulmonary carcinoma) was treated with a combination of low-dose medications including cyclophosphamide, piroxicam, and thalidomide. This treatment, known as metronomic chemotherapy, helped improve their quality of life and significantly extended the time before the cancer progressed compared to other treatments like surgery or maximum-tolerated dose chemotherapy. On average, dogs receiving metronomic chemotherapy lived longer and had better overall well-being during their treatment. This approach appears to be a promising option for managing advanced lung cancer in dogs.
People also search for: dog lung cancer treatment · metronomic chemotherapy for dogs · improving quality of life in dogs with cancer
Abstract
Unresectable or metastatic (advanced) primary pulmonary carcinoma (PPC) represents a therapeutic challenge where surgery may be contraindicated and the therapeutic role of maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) chemotherapy remains uncertain. This study was undertaken to explore the impact of metronomic chemotherapy (MC) in dogs with advanced PPC. Previously untreated dogs with advanced (T3 or N1 or M1) PPC, with complete staging work-up and follow-up data, receiving MC (comprising low-dose cyclophosphamide, piroxicam and thalidomide), surgery, MTD chemotherapy or no oncologic treatment were eligible for inclusion. For all patients, time to progression (TTP) and survival time (ST) were evaluated. Quality-of-life (QoL) was only evaluated in patients receiving MC. To assess QoL, owners of dogs receiving MC were asked to complete a questionnaire before and during treatment. Ninety-one dogs were included: 25 received MC, 36 were treated with surgery, 11 with MTD chemotherapy and 19 received no treatment. QoL was improved in dogs receiving MC. Median TTP was significantly longer in patients receiving MC (172 days) than patients undergoing surgery (87 days), receiving MTD chemotherapy (22 days), or no oncologic treatment (20 days). Median ST was similarly longer in patients receiving MC (139 days) than those undergoing surgery (92 days), MTD chemotherapy (61 days) and no oncologic treatment (60 days). In dogs with advanced PPC, MC achieved a measurable clinical benefit without significant risk or toxicity. This makes MC a potential alternative to other recognized management approaches.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29508493/