Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy in veterinary cancer treatment: a review.

Multi-modality treatment strategies are more becoming commonplace in veterinary oncology practice yet the evidence base is far inferior to what has been generated in people. Surgery is unquestionably the cornerstone of most solid tumour treatment plans but certain scenarios dictate combining surgery with systemic chemotherapy and radiation therapy as an adjunct. By using these in the neoadjuvant setting, one can leverage certain effects of the treatment to improve local disease control, improve overall survival, gain insight into drug efficacy, reduce surgical morbidity and reduce long-term complications. An unintended consequence of combining therapies is an increased flow of information between members of the care team upfront that in almost all cases leads to improved patient outcomes albeit a difficult metric to quantify. This review sets out to explore some of the principles of neoadjuvant therapies and discuss potential opportunities to expand the evidence base in veterinary medicine.

Comparison of methods to determine primary tumour size in canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To assess agreement between measurement of primary apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma tumours using digital palpation, CT and formalin-fixed tissue and to look for associations with metastasis at presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of different methods of measuring primary tumour size in histopathologically-confirmed canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen tumours from 107 dogs were included. There was moderate agreement between maximal dimension of the primary tumour measured by CT compared to formalin-fixed tissue and digital palpation. There was no significant difference in median maximum dimension between the measurement methods. Vascular invasion, CT stage, digital rectal examination stage and formalin-fixed tissue stage were significantly associated with metastasis at presentation, while mitotic index of the primary tumour was not. Dogs with tumours >2.5 cm (tumour-stage 2) were significantly more likely to present with metastatic disease. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma, primary tumour size, tumour-stage and vascular invasion are strong predictors of metastasis at presentation.

Clinical findings and treatment outcomes for cats diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus in the UK: a retrospective study of 19 cases (2004-2012).

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is infrequently reported in cats and represents between 1-7.3 per cent of left to right shunting cardiac congenital anomalies. The objective of this study was to report the presenting complaints, clinical examination findings, diagnostic findings, treatment outcomes and survival times in cats diagnosed with a PDA in the UK. Medical records from three major UK referral centres were searched for cats that were diagnosed with PDA from January 2004 to December 2012. Data obtained for analysis included: signalment, clinical examination findings including murmur characteristics, diagnostic imaging findings, treatment outcomes and survival times. Nineteen cats were included in the analysis. The most common reason for referral was investigation of an incidentally detected heart murmur without clinical signs (13/19; 68 per cent). Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was diagnosed in seven (37 per cent) cats and those cats with PAH were significantly more likely to present with signs of disease (P=0.004). Median survival time in cats that were diagnosed with PDA and died due to cardiac causes was 898 days (interquartile range 459-1011 days). The median survival time of those cats that had an additional congenital anomaly was significantly shorter to those cats without a congenital anomaly (P=0.008).

Mavacoxib and meloxicam for canine osteoarthritis: a randomised clinical comparator trial.

NSAIDs are the cornerstone of medical management of canine osteoarthritis (OA). Meloxicam is a daily-administered NSAID widely available in a liquid formulation and manufacturer's summary of product characteristics (SPC) advise that it is given at the lowest effective dose. Mavacoxib is a long-acting NSAID given as a monthly tablet. This study compares these drugs in the management of canine OA. In all, 111 dogs with OA of the elbow, hip or stifle were randomly assigned to receive one of these NSAIDs for a 12-week period, and to administer them as per the manufacturer's SPC. Outcomes, including ground reaction forces and three validated clinical metrology instruments, were measured at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Improvements were seen in all outcome measures for both groups to a similar degree, and adverse events occurred at a similar rate. There were significant improvements in outcome measures from week 6 to week 12, as well as from baseline. Long-term meloxicam dose was more important than recent dose. Clinical efficacy and adverse event rates are similar for meloxicam and mavacoxib when administered as per their UK SPC. This is relevant information for veterinary surgeons when prescribing NSAID treatment for canine OA.