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Treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in three dogs with melphalan and prednisolone
Author(s) -
Fujino Y.,
Sawamura S.,
Kurakawa N.,
Hisasue M.,
Masuda K.,
Ohno K.,
Tsujimoto H.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2004.tb00239.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prednisolone , melphalan , dermatology , oncology , chemotherapy
Three adult dogs with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) were successfully treated with melphalan and prednisolone. Based on the immunophenotypic analysis of leukaemic cells, two dogs were diagnosed with B cell CLL and one dog was tentatively diagnosed as having T cell CLL. One dog with B cell CLL had IgM monoclonal gammopathy. The clinical signs and haematological abnormalities associated with CLL in the three dogs improved with the administration of cytoreductive melphalan (3 to 5 mg/m 2 /day) and prednisolone (4.3 to 30 mg/m 2 /day) for eight to 210 days. There were no severe adverse effects except a mild increase in plasma alkaline phosphatase activity. Melphalan and prednisolone therapy may achieve remission with few side effects in dogs with CLL.