Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of canine lymphoma by veterinarians in first opinion practice in England.
- Journal:
- The Journal of small animal practice
- Year:
- 2002
- Authors:
- Mellanby, R J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Queen's Veterinary School Hospital · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A recent survey looked at how veterinarians in England treat dogs with lymphoma, a type of cancer. Out of 1,000 veterinary practices contacted, 382 responded, and most of them had diagnosed lymphoma in dogs within the last year. The majority of these vets, about 87%, treated at least half of the cases they diagnosed, often using a combination of three drugs: vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisolone. Although some studies suggest that a different drug, doxorubicin, might help dogs live longer, it was only used by 2% of the vets for initial treatment. Overall, the findings indicate that most veterinarians prefer the COP treatment for canine lymphoma.
Abstract
A survey of canine lymphoma treatment strategies by veterinarians in first opinion practice was undertaken by sending questionnaires to 1000 randomly selected, first opinion small animal veterinary practices throughout England. Completed replies were received from 382 veterinarians. Ninety-five per cent of respondents had diagnosed canine lymphoma in the preceding 12 months. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents treated at least 50 per cent of the cases of canine lymphoma they diagnosed. A multidrug combination of vincristine, cyclophosphamide and prednisolone (COP) was the treatment protocol most commonly used. A doxorubicin-based treatment protocol was used by 2 per cent of respondents to treat canine lymphoma initially. The study suggests that, despite several reports of improved survival times with doxorubicin-based protocols, most veterinarians in first opinion practice in England treat canine lymphoma with COP.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12038851/