Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Canine malignant lymphoma is a common neoplasm of the dog and although its frequent occurrence the cause is still not fully known. It generally causes severe disease, which in the majority of cases, eventually leads to death even when treated. Due to the severity of this disease, prognostication is crucial in order for the veterinarian to manage treatment and ensure quality of life for the patient.
The disease has proven itself to be a diagnostic and treatment challenge as the literature some-times agrees, sometimes not, when discussing prognostic factors and demographic characteristics. Hence is why medical records from all dogs that visited UDS (University Animal Hospital) between 2005 and 2021 and diagnosed with malignant lymphoma (n=356) were examined for information on survival time, demographics, pathology and information on treatment. A multivariate statistical analysis (Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression analysis) was used to determine the aim of the study: more specifically, what prognostic factors and demographic characteristics apply to those dogs with malignant lymphoma that visit UDS?
Kaplan-Meier estimates accompanied by Log-Rank and Wilcoxon-tests were deducted and found form of lymphoma (p=0.003, p=0.001), stage (p=0.001, p=0.000), substage (p=0.002, p=0.000), signs of paraneoplastic syndrome (p=0.036, p=0.002), dogs that received chemotherapy (p=0.000, p=0.000) and no treatment except for symptomatic treatment (p=0.000, p=0.000) to be significant for survival. This was followed by a Cox Regression that found mediastinal and multicentric form to have a RR for shorter survival of 2.7 and 2.3 respectively towards extranodal lymphoma. Stage V patients also showed a RR of 1.6 towards stage I-IV patients. However, it became evident that more research is needed as quite few uncensored values could be collected on mediastinal (n=10), alimentary (n=12) and extranodal lymphoma (n=14).
The conclusion and clinical application of the study was that the results mostly fit in with the general assumptions regarding canine malignant lymphoma but have in mind that it is a single-center study.