Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival times in dogs with bone tumors after radiation
By Oblak, Michelle L et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2012·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The impact of pamidronate and chemotherapy on survival times in dogs with appendicular primary bone tumors treated with palliative radiation therapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 50 dogs with primary bone tumors in their limbs received different treatments to see which helped them live longer. Those who had palliative radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy lived the longest, averaging about 10 months, while those who received radiation therapy with pamidronate (a medication used to strengthen bones) had the shortest survival time of just over 2 months. The study found that adding chemotherapy significantly improved survival times compared to radiation therapy alone. Based on these findings, chemotherapy is recommended alongside radiation therapy for better outcomes, while pamidronate should not be part of the standard treatment plan.
People also search for: dog bone tumor treatment · palliative radiation therapy for dogs · chemotherapy for dog cancer
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess survival times in dogs that received palliative radiation therapy (RT) alone, and in combination with chemotherapy, pamidronate, or both for primary appendicular bone tumors and determine whether the addition of these adjunctive therapies affects survival. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 50) with primary appendicular bone tumors. METHODS: Dogs were divided into the following treatment groups: RT alone, RT + chemotherapy, RT+ pamidronate, and RT+ chemotherapy + pamidronate. Dogs were considered for analysis if they had a known euthanasia date or follow-up data were available for at least 120 days from the time of diagnosis. Survival time was defined as the time from admission to euthanasia. Cox proportional hazard models and Kaplan-Meier survival functions were used. A P value of less than .05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Fifty dogs were considered for survival analysis. Median survival times (MSTs) were longest for dogs receiving RT and chemotherapy (307 days; 95% CI: 279, 831) and shortest in dogs receiving RT and pamidronate (69 days; 95% CI: 47, 112 days). The difference in MST between dogs who received pamidronate and those who did not in this population was statistically significant in a univariate (P = .039) and multivariate analysis (P = .0015). The addition of chemotherapy into any protocol improved survival (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy should be recommended in addition to a palliative RT protocol to improve survival of dogs with primary appendicular bone tumors. When combined with RT ± chemotherapy, pamidronate decreased MST and should not be included in a standard protocol.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23253085/