Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat given 10x vincristine overdose and treated with calcium folinate
By Hughes, Katherine et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2009·Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0ES, UK, United Kingdom·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Vincristine overdose in a cat: Clinical management, use of calcium folinate, and pathological lesions
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female neutered Burmese cat was accidentally given a 10 times higher dose of vincristine, a chemotherapy drug, than intended. After the overdose, the cat received supportive care, including calcium folinate, but unfortunately, her condition worsened, leading to kidney and breathing problems. Despite treatment efforts, she passed away 72 hours later. A necropsy revealed serious damage to her lungs, liver, and kidneys, indicating severe toxicity from the overdose. This case highlights the need for better understanding of how vincristine affects cats to improve treatment outcomes in similar situations.
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Abstract
A 6-year-old female neutered Burmese cat received a 10 times overdose (5 mg/m 2 ) of vincristine, administered in error. Supportive therapy, including administration of calcium folinate, was instigated within 8 h. Despite treatment, the patient exhibited deterioration in renal and respiratory function and died 72 h after overdose. Necropsy was performed within 24 h of death. Gross examination revealed pulmonary oedema and a pale brown liver with a prominent lobular pattern. Histological examination revealed marked apoptosis and necrosis of the bone marrow myeloid series, and mild to moderate apoptosis and necrosis of the erythroid and megakaryocyte series. Multifocal necrosis of the renal tubules, hepatocytes, and small intestinal crypt epithelium was also observed. Use of calcium folinate as a rescue therapy following vincristine overdose in humans has been previously documented. If treatment is to be successful in cases of vincristine overdose in cats, then a more complete understanding of the pathogenesis of vincristine toxicity in companion animal species is required.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2008.06.006