Clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome of dogs with presumed primary hepatic lymphoma: 18 cases (1992-2008)

Objective-To determine outcome of dogs with presumed primary hepatic lymphomatreated with various multiagent, doxorubicin-based chemotherapeutic protocols and identifyfactors associated with prognosis.Design-Retrospective case series. Animals-18 dogs with presumed primary hepatic lymphoma.Procedures-Medical records were reviewed for information on signalment, treatment,and outcome.Results-8 dogs had a complete remission (CR), with a median remission duration of 120days. Dogs with leukocytosis, neutrophilia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia, or acombination of hypoalbuminemia and hyperbilirubinemia were less likely to achieve a CR.Overall median survival time (MST) was 63 days (range, 2 to 402 days). In a multivariateanalysis, response to treatment and serum albumin concentration were associated withMST. Dogs that did not achieve a CR had a significantly shorter MST than did dogs thatdid achieve a CR (13 vs 283 days, respectively). Dogs with serum albumin concentration <2.5 g/dL at the time treatment was initiated had a significantly shorter MST than did dogswith serum albumin concentration within reference limits (10 vs 128 days, respectively).There was also a positive correlation between serum albumin concentration and survivaltime (r = 0.74).Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results suggested that dogs with primary hepaticlymphoma that underwent chemotherapy had a poor prognosis, with a low response rate.Dogs that responded to treatment had a better prognosis, and dogs with hypoalbuminemiahad a poorer prognosis.