The addition of metronomic chemotherapy does not improve outcome for canine splenic haemangiosarcoma.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the addition of metronomic chemotherapy improved outcome for dogs with splenic haemangiosarcoma treated with splenectomy and adjuvant maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records were examined retrospectively for dogs with splenic haemangiosarcoma that had undergone splenectomy followed by anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Thirty-nine dogs underwent splenectomy followed by maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy with an anthracycline, cyclophosphamide, or both (Group 1). Twenty-two dogs underwent splenectomy followed by adjuvant maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy with an anthracycline, cyclophosphamide, or both, plus metronomic chemotherapy (Group 2). Dogs in both groups were further separated into those treated with either maximum tolerated dose anthracycline or maximum tolerated dose anthracycline and cyclophosphamide. RESULTS: Median progression-free survival was 165 days and median overall survival time was 180 days in Group 1. Median progression-free survival was 185 days and median overall survival time was 212 days in Group 2. In both groups, the overall survival was shorter in dogs that had received maximum tolerated dose cyclophosphamide. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The addition of metronomic to maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy protocols does not appear to improve outcome in dogs with splenic haemangiosarcoma treated with splenectomy and maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy.

Combined doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy for nonresectable feline fibrosarcoma.

A retrospective evaluation was performed on 12 cats with nonresectable, histopathologically confirmed fibrosarcomas that were treated with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. All of the tumors were located in sites potentially used for vaccination. Six cats had a greater than 50% decrease in gross tumor burden. However, the responses were not durable, with a median response duration of 125 days. All cats developed progressive disease. When animals that received other treatments after doxorubicin-based chemotherapy were eliminated from the analysis, median survival time was significantly longer for cats that responded to chemotherapy compared with the median survival time for nonresponders (242 and 83 days, respectively). These findings may serve as a basis for further evaluating the role of chemotherapy in the treatment of vaccine-associated sarcomas.

Palliative radiotherapy.

Palliative radiation therapy can be useful in controlling the pain associated with tumors for which definitive therapy is not an option. The patient's quality of life is improved while side effects, hospitalization, and cost of treatment are minimized. Palliative radiation therapy should be considered as part of the oncologist's armamentarium; however, further investigations are warranted to develop appropriate protocols based on patient response.

The relationship between food intake, body fat and reproductive inhibition in prairie deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus bardii).

1. Reproductively-inhibited deermice selected from four laboratory populations consumed significantly less food than reproductively-proven pairs. 2. Reproductively-inhibited animals predominantly, but not consistently, had reduced total body fat compared with reproductively capable deermice. 3. The per capita food consumption rate of two populations followed for 26 weeks since founding, decreased over time to about 65% of the daily intake of the proven animals used to found the populations. 4. An aggregation or "huddling" behaviour with concomitant reduction in thyroid hormone activity, possibly in response to the density of the "huddle", is suggested as an explanation for these observations.