The use of low-dose metronomic chemotherapy in dogs-insight into a modern cancer field.
The era of chemotherapy, which started in the middle of the last century, has been ruled by the routine use of dose-intense protocols, based on the "maximum-tolerated dose" concept. By promoting a balance between patient's quality of life and the goal of rapidly killing as many tumour cells as possible, these protocols still play a prominent role in veterinary oncology. However, with the opening of a new millennium, metronomic chemotherapy (MC) started to be considered a possible alternative to traditional dose-intense chemotherapy. Characterized by a long-term daily administration of lower doses of cytotoxic drugs, this new modality stands out for its unique combination of effects, namely on neovascularization, immune response and tumour dormancy. This article reviews the rationale for treatment with MC, its mechanism of action and the main studies conducted in veterinary medicine, and discusses the key challenges yet to be solved.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.|Hospital Veterinário Berna, Lisboa, Portugal.
T B
TB
Gaspar
Hospital Veterinário Berna, Lisboa, Portugal.
J
J
Henriques
Centro Oncologico Veterinario, Bologna, Italy.
L
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-615X
L
Marconato
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.|Center for the Study of Animal Sciences, CECA-ICETA, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Center for Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6130-8381
FL
Queiroga
D059250:Administration, Metronomic / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
chemotherapy; cytotoxic drugs; dogs; dose-intense; metronomic; review