Management of urothelial carcinoma in dogs
Clients want to know the ultimate cause of death in their pet after cancer treatment. The cause of euthanasia and investigation of urinary obstruction in treated dogs with urothelial carcinoma (UC) has not been specifically reported in veterinary literature. Authors’ hypothesis was that the majority of treated dogs with UC are euthanized secondary to primary tumor factors, such as urinary obstruction.
In this is retrospective observational study the authors have reported the clinical signs and disease at euthanasia of dogs with UC treated by radiation therapy or chemotherapy or both.
Fifty-nine client-owned dogs diagnosed with UC were enrolled. The median overall survival time (OST) of all dogs was 339 days (range, 17-1996; 95% confidence interval [CI], 185-392; interquartile range [IQR], 112-505). Of dogs deemed to have been euthanized because of UC (50/59, 85%), the primary cause was considered to be local progression in 31/50 (62%), most often because of perceived complete or partial urinary obstruction (24/31, 77%). No variables were found to be predictive of urinary obstruction. The overall documented metastatic rate was 56%. In dogs euthanized because of UC, metastasis was deemed to be the cause in 19/50 (38%) dogs.
Regardless of the type of treatment, UC in dogs has a poor prognosis and there is a continuing need to improve treatments that focus on local control of the primary tumor, given its high contribution to the decision for euthanasia. Proactive management to avoid the high frequency of urinary obstruction may be worthy of future investigation.
“Reason for euthanasia in dogs with urothelial carcinoma treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy or both: A retrospective observational study”. Charly McKenna, et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2024 Feb 5. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16994.
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.16994
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