title: Stage migration in dogs with lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various diagnostic tests have been used to assign a clinical stage to dogs with lymphoma. As more sensitive staging methods are introduced, dogs are reclassified as having a higher disease stage, thereby affecting comparisons of dogs across differently staged clinical trials, and possibly, prognosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The addition of more sensitive staging tests causes stage migration in dogs with lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine client-owned dogs with previously untreated cytologically or histologically confirmed lymphoma
  
  
  METHODS
  For every dog, the World Health Organization stage classification (I-V) was based on 5 groupings of various diagnostic tests: A (physical examination [PE] and quantitative blood count [QBC]), B (PE, QBC, thoracic and abdominal radiographs), C (PE, complete blood count with blood-smear evaluation [CBC], thoracic and abdominal radiographs), D (PE, CBC, thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound), and E (PE, CBC, thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and bone-marrow cytology). Dogs were treated with doxorubicin-based protocols.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was migration between all of the staging methods except D to E. However, the stage was not a predictor of remission rate, remission duration, or survival, regardless of staging method used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data emphasized the need for standardized methods to determine the clinical stage in dogs with lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Flory
authors.forename: Kenneth M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rassnick
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stokol
authors.forename: Peter V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Scrivani
authors.forename: Hollis N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Erb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001772:Blood Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000473:pathology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal / Q000662:veterinary; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000662:veterinary; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D004317:Doxorubicin