Standardized assessment of response to therapy for lymphoma in dogs is lacking, making critical comparisons of treatment protocols difficult. This Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group (VCOG) consensus document, based on the recommendations of a subcommittee of ACVIM board-certified veterinary oncologists, was unanimously adopted at the 29th Annual Conference of the Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) by the VCOG membership. It has integrated guidance from the response assessment criteria established for lymphoma in human patients using standards available in routine veterinary oncology practices that are simple, repeatable and consistently applicable. These guidelines are intended only for use in dogs, where peripheral lymphadenopathy represents the principal component of their disease and as such do not critically assess extranodal disease (e.g., primary cutaneous, central nervous system, gastrointestinal). It is hoped these guidelines will be widely adopted and serve to facilitate the comparison of current and future treatment protocols used in the therapy of dogs.

No abstract

A retrospective epidemiologic study evaluated 1,129 feline intestinal tumor patients via data entered into the Veterinary Medical Database (VMDB) from 1964 to 2004. Cases were analyzed by breed, age, yr of diagnosis, tumor type, and location. The VMDB incidence of all intestinal tumors reported during this 40 yr period was 0.4%, with small intestinal tumors predominating. The most common intestinal tumor was lymphoma, but the most common nonlymphoid tumor was adenocarcinoma. The Siamese breed and increasing age after 7 yr conferred an increased risk. Intact males and females appeared to have a decreased risk compared with neutered patients, but this may be explained by the age difference among these patients as older patients were more likely to be neutered. Prospective studies evaluating neuter status predilection and prognosis are warranted.