Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
VAC chemotherapy treatment for dogs with stage III hemangiosarcoma
By Alvarez, Francisco J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2013·Coral Springs Animal Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: VAC protocol for treatment of dogs with stage III hemangiosarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs diagnosed with stage III hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive type of cancer, were treated with a chemotherapy protocol called VAC, which includes vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. The study found that these dogs had a similar survival time to those with earlier stages of the disease, and 86% of the dogs showed some level of improvement in their condition. Importantly, no serious side effects were reported from the treatment. This suggests that even dogs with advanced hemangiosarcoma can benefit from chemotherapy and should not be denied treatment.
People also search for: dog hemangiosarcoma treatment · stage III cancer in dogs · VAC chemotherapy for dogs
Abstract
Hemangiosarcomas (HSAs) are aggressive tumors with a high rate of metastasis. Clinical stage has been considered a negative prognostic factor for survival. The study authors hypothesized that the median survival time (MST) of dogs with metastatic (stage III) HSA treated with a vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) chemotherapy protocol would not be different than those with stage I/II HSA. Sixty-seven dogs with HSA in different anatomic locations were evaluated retrospectively. All dogs received the VAC protocol as an adjuvant to surgery (n = 50), neoadjuvant (n = 3), or as the sole treatment modality (n = 14). There was no significant difference (P = 0.97) between the MST of dogs with stage III and stage I/II HSA. For dogs presenting with splenic HSA alone, there was no significant difference between the MST of dogs with stage III and stage I/II disease (P = 0.12). The overall response rate (complete response [CR] and partial response [PR]) was 86%). No unacceptable toxicities were observed. Dogs with stage III HSA treated with the VAC protocol have a similar prognosis to dogs with stage I/II HSA. Dogs with HSA and evidence of metastases at the time of diagnosis should not be denied treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24051260/