Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thymidine kinase blood test and lymphoma in dogs explained
By Elliott, J. W. et al.·Published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology·2011·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Thymidine kinase assay in canine lymphoma
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 73 dogs with lymphoma (a type of cancer) had their thymidine kinase (TK) levels tested to see if it could help predict how long they would stay in remission or how long they might live. The results showed that nearly half of the dogs had high TK levels at diagnosis, especially those with B-cell lymphoma. However, TK levels did not correlate with the severity of the disease or how long the dogs survived. After treatment, TK levels dropped back to normal in many dogs, suggesting it could be a useful marker for monitoring remission.
People also search for: dog lymphoma treatment · thymidine kinase levels in dogs · dog cancer survival rates
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate if thymidine kinase (TK) correlated with duration of first remission (DFR) or survival in dogs with lymphoma and if initial TK levels correlated with stage and substage; and also to assess if TK level at diagnosis correlated with immunophenotype. TK was assayed in 73 dogs with treatment naïve lymphoma, then again after treatment; 47% had an initial TK above the reference interval. Dogs with B‐cell lymphoma had higher initial TK activities than dogs with T‐cell lymphoma. TK levels were not higher in dogs with higher stage disease and TK activity prior to treatment was not associated with DFR or survival. Where TK was elevated at diagnosis, it fell into the reference range during remission. TK was normal in 53% dogs at diagnosis, which is higher than previously reported. Further studies are warranted to assess the utility of TK in dogs with lymphoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5829.2011.00296.x