Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxic side effects of epirubicin chemotherapy in 139 dogs
By Marrington, A M et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2012·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Toxicity associated with epirubicin treatments in a large case series of dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 139 dogs received a chemotherapy drug called epirubicin, which is used to treat cancer. Many dogs experienced side effects, including lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, with some needing hospitalization. After noticing these issues, veterinarians found that lowering the dose helped reduce the side effects. Despite the challenges, most dogs recovered well after treatment, although some owners chose not to continue with the drug due to the toxicity.
People also search for: dog cancer treatment side effects · epirubicin toxicity in dogs · dog vomiting after chemotherapy · dog lethargy after cancer treatment
Abstract
Epirubicin is a stereoisomer of doxorubicin that is widely used in human oncology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity associated with epirubicin administration in dogs. Three hundred and fifteen treatments were administered to 139 dogs. Patients received between one and seven doses. One hundred and sixteen treatments were associated with toxicity in 81 patients (50 episodes of lethargy, 49 of diarrhoea, 42 of vomiting, 40 of anorexia, 2 hypersensitivity reactions and 2 suspected extravasations). Thirty-six (11%) adverse events resulted in hospitalization in 33 (24%) patients, of which 15 were neutropenic and 9 pyrexic. Mean duration of hospitalization was 3.4 days and 33 patients recovered uneventfully. Owners of 11 patients declined further treatment after toxicity occurred. After 25 treatments associated with toxicity, dose reductions reduced toxicity. The use of prophylactic anti-emetics, gastroprotectants and antibiotics did not reduce the frequency of gastrointestinal toxicity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22236353/