Survival times in dogs with presumptive intracranial gliomas treated with oral lomustine: A comparative retrospective study (2008-2017)

Abstract

Intracranial gliomas are a common malignancy in dogs, and are associated with a poor prognosis due to their aggressive nature and a lack of clinically effective treatments. The efficacies of various treatment modalities for canine brain tumours have been previously described, though little data exist on the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy. A comparative retrospective study, including 40 cases from 5 northeastern US veterinary hospitals, from 2008 to 2017, was conducted. Variables analysed in this study with relation to overall survival and prognostic significance included: age, sex, clinical signs, clinical sign duration, tumour location and treatment protocol used. Dogs with presumptive intracranial gliomas treated with lomustine chemotherapy lived longer (median, 138 days) than those treated exclusively with symptomatic care (median, 35 days; P = .0026 log-rank, 0.0138 Wilcoxon). Additionally, a duration of clinical signs ≥16 days prior to diagnosis (median, 109 days) was associated with a longer survival than a duration <16 days prior (median, 25 days; P = .0100 log-rank, 0.0322 Wilcoxon). Lomustine-associated side effects included neutropenia in 46% of dogs, anaemia in 15% and thrombocytopenia in 15%. Potential renal and hepatotoxicity based on increased BUN and/or creatinine and ALT values were reported in 15% and 50% of dogs, respectively. This study provides evidence that lomustine therapy may be effective in prolonging survival in dogs with intracranial gliomas and should be considered as a potential treatment option. Although lomustine-related toxicities are fairly common, they are rarely life threatening and often do not result in discontinuation of therapy.

Keywords: brain tumour; canine; chemotherapy; neurology; oncology.