Treatment of a maxillary fibrosarcoma in an adult alpaca.

CASE DESCRIPTION: An approximately 5-year-old sexually intact male alpaca was evaluated because of a right-sided maxillary mass that had recurred after previous surgical debulking. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Clinical, radiographic, and CT examination revealed an approximately 1.5-cm-diameter soft tissue mass associated with expansile osteolysis of the maxillary alveolar bone, beginning at the level of the right maxillary third premolar tooth extending caudally to the level of the rostral roots of the second molar tooth. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Right partial maxillectomy was performed, and histologic examination revealed an incompletely excised fibrosarcoma with osseous metaplasia. External beam radiation therapy to the tumor bed was initiated 1 month after surgery. Computerized planning was performed, and a total radiation dose of 48 Gy was prescribed in eleven 4.4-Gy fractions. Follow-up CT evaluations 6 and 58 weeks after radiation therapy was completed revealed no evidence of tumor recurrence. No clinical evidence of tumor recurrence was detected through 110 weeks after radiation therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The oral fibrosarcoma in the alpaca described here was successfully treated with surgical excision and adjuvant radiation therapy, resulting in excellent quality of life of the treated animal.

Intermittent single-agent doxorubicin for the treatment of canine B-cell lymphoma.

Canine B-cell lymphoma is a highly treatable disease, but cost and logistical factors may hamper an owner's ability to pursue treatment of their pet with this disease. The authors evaluated the use of single-agent doxorubicin in an intermittent fashion for efficacy in the treatment of this disease. Morphologic and clinical data were analyzed for prognostic significance. Eighteen dogs with B-cell lymphoma, all with multicentric disease, were enrolled. The overall complete response (CR) rate was 78%, median total doxorubicin remission time (TDR) was 80.5 days, and median overall survival (OS) was 169.5 days. The median number of doxorubicin doses administered was 4.5. First remission times were significantly affected by clinical stage and substage of disease. Outcome for the dogs in this study were similar to those previously reported for single-agent doxorubicin treatment. Additionally, the intermittent nature of the treatments made the described protocol more feasible for the owners who enrolled their pets in this study. Intermittent single-agent doxorubicin is not a substitute for multiagent chemotherapy protocols in the treatment of canine lymphoma; however, it is a reasonable alternative if the cost and time commitments are limiting factors for an owner.

Use of samarium Sm 153 lexidronam for the treatment of dogs with primary tumors of the skull: 20 cases (1986-2006).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate samarium Sm 153 lexidronam ((153)Sm-EDTMP) as a treatment option for dogs with bony tumors of the skull. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: Dogs with multilobular osteochondrosarcoma (MLO) or osteosarcoma (OSA) of the skull. PROCEDURES: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital records from the Universities of Missouri and Florida from 1986 to 2006 were searched for dogs with primary skull tumors treated with (153)Sm-EDTMP. RESULTS: 25 dogs were initially evaluated, with 5 dogs subsequently excluded because of inadequate follow-up or unrelated death. Seven OSAs and 13 MLOs were diagnosed. Tumors involved the occipital and frontal bones (n = 10), zygomatic arch and maxilla region (6), palate (3), and mandible (1). No clinically important adverse effects related to (153)Sm-EDTMP treatment were documented. Of the 20 dogs evaluated 21 days after injection with (153)Sm-EDTMP, 4 had subjective improvement, 13 had progressive disease, and 3 had insufficient follow-up. On the basis of radiographic findings, metastasis was suspected in 1 dog; 16 dogs had no metastasis evident, and medical records were insufficient for 3 dogs. Survival time, defined as the (153)Sm-EDTMP injection date to the date of death, ranged from 3 to 1,314 days (median, 144 days). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The subjective improvement in 4 patients and lack of clinical evidence of adverse effects suggested that (153)Sm-EDTMP injection may be an option for the treatment of dogs with MLO or OSA of the skull when other treatments have failed or surgery is not possible.

Photodynamic therapy for the treatment of periocular squamous cell carcinoma in horses: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Local photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel cancer therapy in veterinary ophthalmology. A prospective pilot study seeking to demonstrate proof of principle and safety for the treatment of equine periocular squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) was therefore conducted. We hypothesized that surgical excision with adjunctive local PDT is an effective and safe treatment for equine PSCC. PROCEDURES: Nine horses (10 eyes) with PSCC were treated with surgical resection, local infiltration of resulting wound beds with 2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinylpyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) and irradiation with 665-nm wavelength diode laser. Regular follow-up ophthalmic examinations were performed. RESULTS: Surgical resection and PDT yielded disease-free intervals of 25-68 months in our study horses as of January, 2008. These results were obtained following a single treatment in seven horses and two treatments in one horse. In one horse, carcinoma in situ developed 2.5 months after partial surgical excision and PDT, requiring local excision under standing sedation. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results suggest that surgical resection and adjunctive local PDT is a safe and effective novel treatment for PSCC in horses. More research is needed before PDT for the treatment of equine PSCC can be adequately compared with other current modalities. Important to future investigations regarding PDT, tumor recurrence rate, length of hospitalization, number of treatment episodes required to effect tumor remission, and total treatment costs should be examined in a controlled manner. Our present results and experiences suggest that this treatment may be useful in the treatment of equine PSCC.

Evaluation of a novel immunomodulator composed of human chorionic gonadotropin and bacillus Calmette-Guerin for treatment of canine mast cell tumors in clinically affected dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate safety and efficacy of LDI-100, a preparation containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), in the treatment of dogs with mast cell tumors and to compare results with those from a control group receiving single-agent vinblastine. ANIMALS: 95 dogs with measurable grade II or III mast cell tumors. PROCEDURES: Dogs were randomized to receive either LDI-100 (1.35 ng of BCG and 2 units of hCG, SC, q 24 h) or vinblastine (2 mg/m(2), IV, q 1 wk) for 6 weeks. Tumors were measured at baseline and day 42, and dogs were monitored for signs of toxicosis. Clinical performance scores were recorded at each visit. Differences in host factors (sex, weight, and age), clinical performance score, tumor response, and adverse events were analyzed. RESULTS: 46 dogs received LDI-100, and 49 dogs received vinblastine. No significant differences were found between the 2 treatment groups with regard to host factors or clinical performance score. Tumor response (>or=50% reduction) rates were similar between the LDI-100 and vinblastine group (28.6% and 11.7%, respectively). Dogs in the LDI-100 group had significantly less neutropenia than the vinblastine group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: hCG and BCG have immunomodulatory and antitumor effects against a variety of malignancies in humans and dogs. In this study, LDI-100 provided clinical responses comparable to single-agent vinblastine chemotherapy but without myelosuppression. LDI-100 is a promising new agent that should be further investigated for multimodality therapy of mast cell tumors in dogs.

Proteomics of canine lymphoma identifies potential cancer-specific protein markers.

PURPOSE: Early diagnosis of cancer is crucial for the success of treatment of the disease, and there is a need for markers whose differential expression between disease and normal tissue could be used as a diagnostic tool. Spontaneously occurring malignancies in pets provide a logical tool for translational research for human oncology. Lymphoma, one of the most common neoplasms in dogs, is similar to human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and could serve as an experimental model system. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Thirteen lymph nodes from normal dogs and 11 lymph nodes from dogs with B-cell lymphoma were subjected to proteomic analysis using two-dimensional PAGE separation and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight analysis. RESULTS: A total of 93 differentially expressed spots was subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis, and several proteins that showed differential expression were identified. Of these, prolidase (proline dipeptidase), triosephosphate isomerase, and glutathione S-transferase were down-regulated in lymphoma samples, whereas macrophage capping protein was up-regulated in the lymphoma samples. CONCLUSIONS: These proteins represent potential markers for the diagnosis of lymphoma and should be further investigated in human samples for validation of their utility as diagnostic markers.

Evaluation of a bladder tumor antigen test as a screening test for transitional cell carcinoma of the lower urinary tract in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the veterinary version of the bladder tumor antigen (V-BTA) test as a screening test for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the lower urinary tract of dogs. ANIMALS: 229 client-owned dogs. PROCEDURE: Urine samples from dogs were shipped overnight to a single laboratory to facilitate testing within 48 hours of collection by use of the V-BTA rapid latex agglutination urine dipstick test. Groups of dogs included the following: 1) dogs with TCC of the lower urinary tract, 2) healthy control dogs, 3) unhealthy control dogs with non-TCC urinary tract disease, and 4) unhealthy control dogs without urinary tract disease. Test sensitivity and specificity were calculated by use of standard methods. Logistic models were developed to assess the effect of disease status, test conditions, urine composition, and signalment on the performance of the V-BTA test. RESULTS: A total of 229 urine samples were analyzed, including 48 from dogs with suspected (n = 3) or confirmed (45) TCC. Test sensitivities were 88, 87, and 85% for all dogs with (suspected and confirmed) TCC, dogs with confirmed TCC at any site, and dogs with confirmed TCC of the urinary bladder, respectively. Test specificities were 84, 41, and 86% for healthy control dogs, unhealthy control dogs with non-TCC urinary tract disease, and unhealthy control dogs without urinary tract disease, respectively. The test performed slightly better on centrifuged urine samples than on uncentrifuged urine samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our results indicate that the V-BTA test is useful in screening for urinary tract TCC in dogs.

Clinical evaluation of mitoxantrone and piroxicam in a canine model of human invasive urinary bladder carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Cyclooxygenase inhibitors show promise in chemoprevention and therapy of certain carcinomas, an effect that may be additive to that of standard chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined therapy using the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, piroxicam, and mitoxantrone against a relevant canine model of human invasive bladder cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Fifty-five dogs with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder were enrolled in this nonrandomized one-armed prospective multi-institutional clinical trial. Mitoxantrone was administered i.v. (5 mg/m(2)) every 21 days for four treatments, and piroxicam was administered p.o. (0.3 mg/kg/day) for the study duration. Tumor staging was performed at baseline, day 42 and every 3 months after protocol completion. Endpoints included time-to-treatment failure and survival time (ST). RESULTS: Response data were available for 48 dogs and included one complete response, 16 partial responses, 22 with disease stabilization, and 9 with progressive disease for an overall 35.4% measurable response rate. Subjective improvement occurred in 75% of treated dogs. Median time-to-treatment failure and ST were 194 and 350 days, respectively. Using censoring and end point definitions similar to those of previous reports of dogs treated with piroxicam alone, the median ST in this study was 291 days, compared with 181 days with piroxicam alone. Diarrhea and azotemia were the most common treatment complications. CONCLUSIONS: Mitoxantrone/piroxicam induced remission more frequently than previously reported for either drug as a single agent in this canine model of invasive human transitional cell carcinoma. Additional evaluation of these drugs in combination protocols should be explored.