Clinical, pathologic and molecular findings in 2 Rottweiler littermates with appendicular osteosarcoma.

Appendicular osteosarcoma was diagnosed and treated in a pair of littermate Rottweiler dogs, resulting in distinctly different clinical outcomes despite similar therapy within the context of a prospective, randomized clinical trial (NCI-COTC021/022). Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, mRNA sequencing, and targeted DNA hotspot sequencing techniques were applied to both dogs' tumors to define factors that could underpin their differential response to treatment. We describe the comparison of their clinical, histologic and molecular features, as well as those from a companion cohort of Rottweiler dogs, providing new insight into potential prognostic biomarkers for canine osteosarcoma.

Alternating rabacfosadine and doxorubicin for treatment of naïve canine lymphoma.

The current standard of care treatment for canine lymphoma is a multi-agent, CHOP-based chemotherapy protocol. Single agent doxorubicin (DOX) is less burdensome; however, multi-agent chemotherapy protocols are often superior. The recently approved drug rabacfosadine (RAB, Tanovea) provides an attractive option for combination therapy with DOX, as both drugs demonstrate efficacy against lymphoma and possess different mechanisms of action.

ALVAC-fIL2, a feline interleukin-2 immunomodulator, as a treatment for sarcoids in horses: A pilot study.

Background: Sarcoid tumors are common in horses and may negatively impact the performance and value of the horse. No known treatment is reliably successful.

Hypotheses/objectives: To determine tolerability, overall response rate, time to response, and progression-free survival of horses with biopsy-confirmed or suspected sarcoids treated with ALVAC-fIL2.

A prospective, multi-centre, Veterinary Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study reveals potential efficacy of toceranib phosphate (Palladia) as a primary or adjuvant agent in the treatment of canine nasal carcinoma.

Radiation is the standard of care for dogs with nasal tumours. The addition of another therapy that could improve outcome without increasing toxicity is attractive. Medical therapy that could offer better outcome than maximally tolerated dose chemotherapy when radiation therapy (RT) is not possible or is declined is also attractive.

Adjuvant Sirolimus Does Not Improve Outcome in Pet Dogs Receiving Standard-of-Care Therapy for Appendicular Osteosarcoma: A Prospective, Randomized Trial of 324 Dogs.

Purpose: The mTOR pathway has been identified as a key nutrient signaling hub that participates in metastatic progression of high-grade osteosarcoma. Inhibition of mTOR signaling is biologically achievable with sirolimus, and might slow the outgrowth of distant metastases. In this study, pet dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma were leveraged as high-value biologic models for pediatric osteosarcoma, to assess mTOR inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for attenuating metastatic disease progression.

Retrospective evaluation of intranasal carcinomas in cats treated with external-beam radiotherapy: 42 cases.

Background: Little is known regarding the comparative efficacy of various irradiation strategies used to treat intranasal carcinomas (INC) in cats.

Objectives: Investigate outcomes and prognostic factors associated with survival for cats with INC.

Animals: Forty-two cats with INC that underwent radiotherapy (RT).

Rabacfosadine for naïve canine intermediate to large cell lymphoma: Efficacy and adverse event profile across three prospective clinical trials.

While current lymphoma therapies induce remission in most dogs, drug-resistant relapse is common, creating a need for novel agents. Rabacfosadine (RAB), a double prodrug of the acyclic nucleotide phosphonate 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethel) guanine (PMEG), preferentially targets lymphoma cells with reduced systemic toxicity compared with PMEG. Previous studies evaluating RAB administered every 21 days have suggested efficacy in both naïve and relapsed subjects; however, no large studies of RAB as a single agent have been reported in previously untreated dogs with intermediate to large cell lymphoma.

Indirect computed tomography lymphangiography with aqueous contrast for evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in dogs with tumors of the head.

Sentinel lymph node evaluation is widely used in human medicine to evaluate the first lymph node(s) to which a tumor drains. Sentinel lymph node biopsy allows avoidance of extensive lymphadenectomies in cases where the sentinel lymph node is negative for metastasis, thereby reducing patient morbidity. It has been shown that regional lymph nodes are not always the sentinel lymph node, thus identification and sampling of sentinel lymph nodes allows for more accurate staging, which is critical for treatment and prognostication in dogs with cancer.

Eosinophilic leukemia in three African pygmy hedgehogs ( Atelerix albiventris) and validation of Luna stain.

Neoplasia is usually encountered in the African pygmy hedgehog at a mean age of 3.5 y, and malignancy is common. Myelogenous leukemias are rarely reported in hedgehogs.

Vaccine-associated feline sarcoma: current perspectives.

Feline injection site sarcomas (FISS; also known as vaccine-associated sarcomas) have been recognized for >20 years. Although uncommon, these tumors are iatrogenic, and vaccination against rabies and feline leukemia virus is perhaps the most common inciting cause. The exact etiopathogenesis is unknown, but it is widely accepted that inflammation induced by vaccines or other injections likely plays a critical role in tumor development.

A Comparative Oncology Study of Iniparib Defines Its Pharmacokinetic Profile and Biological Activity in a Naturally-Occurring Canine Cancer Model.

Development of iniparib as an anti-cancer agent was hindered in part by lingering questions regarding its mechanism of action, the activity of its metabolites, and their potential accumulation in tumors. Due to strong similarities in metabolism of iniparib between humans and dogs, a veterinary clinical trial in pet dogs with spontaneous cancers was designed to answer specific questions pertaining to pharmacokinetic exposures and tolerability of iniparib. Dogs were treated with iniparib alone and in combination with carboplatin chemotherapy.

Outcomes of dogs undergoing limb amputation, owner satisfaction with limb amputation procedures, and owner perceptions regarding postsurgical adaptation: 64 cases (2005-2012).

Objective: To evaluate outcomes of dogs and owner satisfaction and perception of their dogs' adaptation following amputation of a thoracic or pelvic limb.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 64 client-owned dogs.

Relationship between Small Animal Intern Rank and Performance at a University Teaching Hospital.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between selection committee rankings of internship applicants and the performance of small animal interns. The hypothesis was that there would be a relationship between selection committee rank order and intern performance; the more highly an application was ranked, the better the intern's performance scores would be. In 2007, the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery instituted a standardized approach to its intern selection process both to streamline the process and to track its effectiveness.

An integrated widefield imaging and spectroscopy system for contrast-enhanced, image-guided resection of tumors.

Unlabelled: Tumor recurrence following surgery is a common and unresolved medical problem of great importance since surgery is the most widely used treatment for solid-mass tumors worldwide. A contributing factor to tumor recurrence is the presence of residual tumor remaining at or near the surgical site following surgery.

Goal: The primary objective of this study was to develop and evaluate an image-guided surgery system based on a near-infrared, handheld excitation source and spectrograph in combination with a widefield video imaging system.

In vitro efficacy of doxorubicin and etoposide against a feline injection site sarcoma cell line.

Feline injection site sarcoma (ISS) is a locally invasive tumor, in which surgical treatment is frequently combined with radiation or chemotherapy to improve tumor control. The focus of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin or etoposide on a feline injection site sarcoma cell line (JB) and to assess the impact of combining these drugs on cell death and cell cycle. Both single agent and combination drug administration increased cell death and significantly reduced the number of viable cells.

Ulnar osteosarcoma in dogs: 30 cases (1992-2008).

Objective: To examine the biological behavior of ulnar osteosarcoma and evaluate predictors of survival time in dogs.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 30 dogs with primary ulnar osteosarcoma.

Dexrazoxane treatment of doxorubicin extravasation injury in four dogs.

Case Description: 4 dogs were treated with dexrazoxane for known or suspected doxorubicin extravasation. Records were retrospectively reviewed. Doses and number of doses of dexrazoxane were variable.

Assessment of plasma uracil-to-dihydrouracil concentration ratio as an indicator of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in clinically normal dogs and dogs with neoplasia or renal insufficiency.

Objective: To determine and compare the ratio of uracil (U) to dihydrouracil (UH(2)) concentrations in plasma as an indicator of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in clinically normal dogs and dogs with neoplasia or renal insufficiency.

Animals: 101 client- and shelter-owned dogs.

Procedures: Study dogs included 74 clinically normal dogs, 17 dogs with neoplasia, and 10 dogs with renal insufficiency.

Hypocalcemia following surgical treatment of metastatic anal sac adenocarcinoma in a dog.

A 9 yr old neutered male mixed-breed dog was presented for an anal sac apocrine gland adenocarcinoma with regional nodal metastases. At presentation, ionized calcium was 1.91 mmol/L (NOVA Stat reference range, 1.

Lymphosarcoma associated with Heterobilharzia americana infection in a dog.

Hepatic T-cell lymphosarcoma with involvement of regional lymph nodes and concurrent schistosomiasis were diagnosed in an 11-year-old male neutered mixed-breed dog with a history of chronic weight loss, inappetence, vomiting, and diarrhea. Trematode ova present in the hepatic parenchyma and mesenteric node were surrounded by sheets of neoplastic lymphocytes while those in the intestinal wall were surrounded by large numbers of non-neoplastic lymphocytes. Immunohistochemistry revealed that both the neoplastic and hyperplastic populations were T lymphocytes.

Predictors of outcome in dogs with subcutaneous or intramuscular hemangiosarcoma.

Objective: To identify prognostic factors in a large group of dogs with subcutaneous or intramuscular hemangiosarcoma (HSA) or both. Design-Multi-institutional retrospective cohort study. Animals-71 dogs with subcutaneous or intramuscular HSA.

Fibrosarcoma adjacent to the site of microchip implantation in a cat.

A 14-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat presented with an interscapular mass. A computed tomography scan, biopsy, and histological examination revealed a fibrosarcoma adjacent to a pet identification microchip. Because the cat was previously vaccinated at this site, it is not possible to establish definitive causation of the fibrosarcoma, but this is the first report of a tumor in the vicinity of a microchip in a cat.

Mammary gland tumors in male dogs.

Background: Reports of mammary-gland tumors in male dogs are lacking.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of mammary-gland tumors in male dogs.

Animals: Eight male dogs diagnosed with mammary-gland tumors.