title: Conformity and controversies in the diagnosis, staging and follow-up evaluation of canine nodal lymphoma: a systematic review of the last 15 years of published literature.
abstract: Diagnostic methods used in the initial and post-treatment evaluation of canine lymphoma are heterogeneous and can vary within countries and institutions. Accurate reporting of clinical stage and response assessment is crucial in determining the treatment efficacy and predicting prognosis. This study comprises a systematic review of all available canine multicentric lymphoma studies published over 15 years. Data concerning diagnosis, clinical stage evaluation and response assessment procedures were extracted and compared. Sixty-three studies met the eligibility criteria. Fifty-five (87.3%) studies were non-randomized prospective or retrospective studies. The survey results also expose variations in diagnostic criteria and treatment response assessment in canine multicentric lymphoma. Variations in staging procedures performed and recorded led to an unquantifiable heterogeneity among patients in and between studies, making it difficult to compare treatment efficacies. Awareness of this inconsistency of procedure and reporting may help in the design of future clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Centro Oncologico Veterinario, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marconato
authors.affiliation: North Downs Specialist Referrals, Bletchingley, UK.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Polton
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabattini
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dacasto
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science and Services, Immune Regulation Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.|Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Garden
authors.affiliation: Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Dierenkliniek Sanimalia, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.affiliation: Hospital Veterinário Berna, OnevetGroup, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lubas
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morello
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stefanello
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Comazzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000662:veterinary
keywords: dog; efficacy assessment; multicentric lymphoma; staging; systematic review