Chemotherapy in Canine Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

• Published in: In vivo (Athens) Vol. 23; no. 6; p. 911
• Main Authors: Willmann, Michael, Müllauer, Leonhard, Schwendenwein, Ilse, Wolfesberger, Birgitt, Kleiter, Miriam, Pagitz, Maximilian, Hadzijusufovic, Emir, Shibly, Sarina, Reifinger, Martin, Thalhammer, Johann G, Valent, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.11.2009
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Bone Marrow Cells - drug effects; Bone Marrow Cells - pathology; Cytarabine - administration & dosage; Daunorubicin - administration & dosage; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dogs; Etoposide - administration & dosage; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute - drug therapy; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute - pathology; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute - veterinary; Male; Prednisolone - administration & dosage; Remission Induction; Secondary Prevention; Vincristine - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 0258-851X; 1791-7549

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in dogs is a rare disease with poor prognosis. In most subjects, palliative treatment or euthanasia is performed. A 3.5-year-old male castrated labrador with AML-M7, which was treated with induction polychemotherapy (8 cycles) using vincristine (0.5 mg/m 2 /cycle), daunorubicin (20 mg/m 2 /cycle), cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C, 100 mg/m 2 /cycle) and prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) is reported. Treatment was well tolerated and complete remission was achieved. Postinduction chemotherapy consisted of ARA-C, daunorubicin and prednisolone. After 3, 5 and 18 months, the subject relapsed. Each relapse was treated with ARA-C (up to 1,000 mg/m 2 ) and etoposide or daunorubicin. Again, no severe side-effects occurred and the disease was controlled, with 37 chemotherapy-cycles (ARA-C, 3 x 1,000 mg/m 2 /cycle), for 24 months. Based on a literature-search, this is the first report documenting a long-term response of canine AML, probably resulting from the high-dose ARA-C. Clinical trials using high-dose ARA-C are now required to confirm antileukemic efficacy in canine leukemias.