Dr Sue is guest of on the podcast for Danish veterinarians Success in Veterinary Practice, hosted by Dr Søren Drimer Pejstrup. Here she discusses one of the tough to diagnose and tough to treat cancers, hemangiosarcoma in dogs. (Don’t worry the podcast is in English.)
Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), Tarrytown, New York
VeterinaryTeamBrief.com
Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), Tarrytown, New York
VeterinaryTeamBrief.com
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017 | PEER REVIEWED
Ana M. Cilursu, MD, lost three Rottweilers in a row to bone cancer.
The first dog, Hessa, had chondrosarcoma. She was not a candidate for surgery, and the tumor was quite aggressive.
The second and third dogs, Roddy and Maxine, had osteosarcoma. Both had amputations. Roddy started chemotherapy but developed lung metastases and a malignant pleural effusion several months into the treatment. Maxine did not have chemotherapy and developed spinal metastases three months after the amputation.
Lymphoma is a collection of cancers arising from the malignant transformation of lymphocytes. The common origin is lymphoreticular cells, even though lymphoma clinically is a diverse group of neoplasms. Lymphoma is one of the most common canine cancers, accounting for 7% to 24% of all canine tumors and 85% of hematopoietic tumors.1
The cause of lymphoma is largely unknown and multifactorial. Genetics can play a role, and chromosomal aberrations have been found.1 Dogs with previous immune-mediated thrombocytopenia have been associated with increased risk.2 Whether immunosuppressive medications can increase risk to dogs is unclear. Environmental causes have also been documented.1
Dogs of any age, gender, and breed can be affected with lymphoma, although affected dogs are typically middle-aged to older.1
Genetic predispositions have been noted in pedigrees of bull mastiffs, otter hounds, rottweilers, and Scottish terriers, pointing to a heritable risk.1 Several breeds, including golden retrievers, boxers, basset hounds, Saint Bernards, Scottish terriers, Airedales, Labrador retrievers, bulldogs, and poodles, are reported to be at increased risk.
Cutaneous and subcutaneous masses are very common in companion animal practice, and some veterinarians have become accustomed to monitoring growths that are small or slow growing and postponing surgery until the mass becomes larger.
Learn more about Dr Sue's early cancer detection program at WhyWaitAspirate.com
On The Pet Cancer Vet Dr Sue Ettinger takes pre-arranged calls from pet owners with a dog or cat with cancer to give information, support and hope. Click here to listen on The Radio Pet Lady Network.🎥Great night with friends Mari and Rob Thomas at Bedford Playhouse watching the Clive Davis documentary.
🤩 Truly an amazing career of a legend who has brought so much music into our lives. 🎼
#robthomas #TGIT
📹 Wanna see more video of the Q&A? Check out my insta post and story before they disappear 😊
😻 SPOTLIGHT ON FELINE LYMPHOMA:
🐈Although outcomes for treated cats are less predictable than dogs, treated cats live longer and tolerate chemotherapy well (even better than dogs!).
🤷♀️Why are they less predictable? Cats treated with multi-agent chemotherapy have response rates of about 50-80%, BUT the cats that achieve a complete remission tend to be the long term survivors (1 to 2 years vs 1 month with treatment). We just often do not know until we try who will respond, but they tolerate chemo so well and the cancer is often making them sick, that it is worth trying, in my humble opinion.
🙋♀️Yes, I would and I have treated my own cat for lymphoma.
🐈 SPOTLIGHT ON FELINE LYMPHOMA:
How do we treat lymphoma in cats? Just like people and dogs, lymphoma almost always requires systemic chemotherapy.
😺 The good news is that cats tolerate chemotherapy very well, even better than dogs! (And cats and dogs handle it better than people).
😺 So they experience very little side effects! (They do not lose their hair, they tend not to get very low white blood cell counts, and they have less GI side effects than dogs and people.)
🤢🤮 But since they can have some nausea from chemo, and some forms of lymphoma itself can cause vomiting and diarrhea, I take a very proactive approach to preventative medications. Check out this video for my top 5 preventative medications. youtu.be/I211tveubII
