Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of cat gut lymphoma with lomustine and radiation therapy
By Gieger, Tracy L et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment of feline gastrointestinal intermediate- or large-cell lymphoma with lomustine chemotherapy and 8 Gy abdominal cavity radiation therapy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with gastrointestinal lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the digestive system, were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment included an oral chemotherapy drug called lomustine, along with radiation to the abdomen, given at intervals of 21 days. While some cats experienced side effects that delayed their treatment, about half showed improvement, with three cats living more than 240 days after starting therapy. Overall, the median survival time was about 101 days. This approach appears to be a promising option for managing this type of cancer in cats.
People also search for: cat lymphoma treatment · feline cancer chemotherapy · lomustine for cats · cat radiation therapy side effects
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to document the outcomes and toxicity of a novel multimodality treatment protocol for feline gastrointestinal intermediate- or large-cell lymphoma (FGL) in which cats were treated at 21-day intervals. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-arm study. Twelve client-owned cats with cytologically diagnosed FGL were treated with a combination of abdominal cavity radiation therapy (RT; 8 Gy total dose administered in two 4 Gy fractions, 21 days apart), lomustine chemotherapy (approximately 40 mg/m, administered orally at 21-day intervals for four treatments), prednisolone (5 mg PO q24h) and cobalamin (250 µg/week SC). RESULTS: Three cats were euthanized prior to the second treatment and it was difficult to discern treatment-associated toxicity from progressive disease. Four of the remaining cats developed cytopenias, resulting in 7-14-day lomustine treatment delays and/or dose reductions. Six cats had a partial response to treatment and three had stable disease based on ultrasound at day 21 (50% overall response rate). Three of these six cats completed the study and lived >240 days; one died of refractory diabetes mellitus with no clinical evidence of FGL, and the other two died as a result of FGL. The median overall survival time was 101 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 9-240). The median progression-free survival time was 77 days (95% CI 8-212). Necropsies were performed in eight cats, which revealed multifocal lymphoma throughout the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Oncological outcomes reported herein are comparable to those achieved with multiagent injectable chemotherapy (eg, CHOP). Treatment was seemingly well tolerated in most cats and was relatively cost-effective. It is therefore plausible that improved disease control may be achievable through continued optimization and intensification of the combinatorial chemoradiotherapy protocol.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32996835/