Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chemotherapy with DAV for advanced hemangiosarcoma in dogs
By Dervisis, Nikolaos G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Michigan State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment with DAV for advanced-stage hemangiosarcoma in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with advanced hemangiosarcoma, a serious type of cancer, were treated with a combination of three chemotherapy drugs: doxorubicin, dacarbazine, and vincristine. Out of 24 dogs, nearly half showed some response to the treatment, with five dogs experiencing complete remission and four showing partial improvement. On average, dogs lived about 125 days after starting the treatment, although some experienced significant side effects, including severe blood and stomach issues. Overall, the combination therapy seemed to help some dogs, but careful monitoring for side effects was necessary.
People also search for: dog hemangiosarcoma treatment · chemotherapy side effects in dogs · advanced cancer in dogs survival rate
Abstract
Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive disease that is fairly common in the dog. The authors evaluated a doxorubicin, dacarbazine, and vincristine (DAV) combination protocol in dogs with nonresectable stage II and stage III HSA. Twenty-four dogs were enrolled in this prospective, phase 2 study. Doxorubicin and dacarbazine were administered on day 1 while vincristine was administered on days 8 and 15. The protocol was repeated every 21 days for a maximum of six cycles or until disease progression. Toxicity and efficacy were assessed by clinical and laboratory evaluation and by questionnaires completed by the owners. Of the 24 included dogs, 19 were evaluable for response. The response rate (including five complete responses and four partial responses) was 47.4%. Median time to tumor progression was 101 days and median overall survival was 125 days. Significant toxicities were noted, including 41 high-grade hematologic and 12 high-grade gastrointestinal toxic events. Five dogs discontinued treatment due to chemotherapy-related toxicities, but no treatment-related deaths occurred. Multivariate analysis identified patient age (relative risk [RR], 2.3, P=0.049) to be negatively associated with time to progression whereas dacarbazine dose reductions (RR, 0.06, P=0.031) were positively associated with time to progression. Dacarbazine dose reduction was the sole factor positively associated with overall survival (RR, 0.28, P=0.015). In conclusion, the DAV combination appears to offer clinical responses and may prolong survival in dogs with advanced-stage HSA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21498593/