Central nervous system lymphoma in 18 dogs (2001 to 2015)

Abstract

Dogs receiving any type of treatment for central nervous system lymphoma lived longer than cases described in previous historical reports. Further studies are needed to elucidate the importance of specific treatment modalities.

Toxicity of cytarabine constant rate infusion in dogs with high‐grade non‐Hodgkin lymphoma with bone marrow or central nervous system involvement

“…In CNS lymphoma, antemortem diagnosis is usually based on the combination of CSF analysis, MRI findings and PARR. Histopathological confirmation, performed post‐mortem in the majority of cases, is still considered the gold standard . Although clinical signs, investigations and response to treatment supported lymphoma diagnosis in our cohort of dogs, not all of them were tested for infectious agents, as these are not considered likely in dogs that had never travelled outside the UK.…”

“…Moreover, cytarabine remains a mainstay of treatment of CNS lymphoma in humans . Recently, LaRue et al reported outcomes in 18 dogs with primary CNS lymphoma treated with a variety of different modalities, including four dogs receiving cytarabine, two of which received the drug intrathecally . As only 15% of cytosine arabinoside is found to concentrate in the CSF compared with plasma concentrations in healthy dogs, intrathecal administration may be a way to enhance efficacy while improving the toxicity profile .…”

“…16 Recently, LaRue et al reported outcomes in 18 dogs with primary CNS lymphoma treated with a variety of different modalities, including four dogs receiving cytarabine, two of which received the drug intrathecally. 25 As only 15% of cytosine arabinoside is found to concentrate in the CSF compared with plasma concentrations in healthy dogs, 12 intrathecal administration may be a way to enhance efficacy while improving the toxicity profile. 38 The apparently longer MST of 171 days (range: 1-1942 days) reported by LaRue et al, compared with the MST for group 2 in our study of 76 days (range: 36-1019), could be partly explained by the two dogs treated intrathecally achieving survivals of 113 and 268 days.…”

“…In domestic animals, the main uses are treatment of lymphoproliferative diseases and meningoencephalitis of unknown aetiology . Despite poor efficacy as a single agent in canine lymphoma, cytarabine may have a role to play in CNS (stage V) lymphoma, as it crosses the blood brain barrier . In addition, cytarabine intensification of induction protocols was associated with increased survival in a small number of patients with bone marrow (BM) infiltration …”

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Despite poor efficacy as a single agent in canine lymphoma, 23 cytarabine may have a role to play in CNS (stage V) lymphoma, as it crosses the blood brain barrier. 12,25,26 In addition, cytarabine intensification of induction protocols was associated with increased survival in a small number of patients with bone marrow (BM) infiltration. 22 In humans, treatment duration and drug concentration influence the incidence of toxicity.…”