title: Chemotherapy in canine acute megakaryoblastic leukemia: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department for Companion Animals and Horses, Clinic for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria. michael.willmann@vu-wien.ac.at
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willmann
authors.forename: Leonhard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Müllauer
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwendenwein
authors.forename: Birgitt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wolfesberger
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kleiter
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagitz
authors.forename: Emir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hadzijusufovic
authors.forename: Sarina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shibly
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reifinger
authors.forename: Johann G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Thalhammer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007947:Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D011239:Prednisolone; D003630:Daunorubicin