Clinical studies of metronomic chemotherapy in dogs

Abstract

In the last decade metronomic chemotherapy has received increased interest in veterinary oncology. Indeed, low-dose metronomic chemotherapy has been shown an important stabilizing effect on cancer growth, conferring both prolonged clinical benefits and positive effects on the quality of life of patients. A number of studies have been performed in dogs on the efficacy of metronomic dosing of various chemotherapeutic drugs. Metronomic chemotherapy is offered as the treatment of choice for all pets with malignant tumors where owners are reluctant to embark on an aggressive therapy protocol. It is indicated in patients with organ failure in which the toxicity of chemotherapy may be fatal as well as in patients with an aggressive nature that would require sedation for each parenteral administration. Metronomic therapy induces minimal impact on the animal; it is a low-cost alternative and it is easy to administer. Moreover, it has been recently recognized that dogs affected by natural cancer serve as unique animal model for human tumors. For this reason, the metronomic chemotherapy experience in dogs could lead to innovative and unexplored schedules for humans. It may be used as a more accurate model than rodents with induced cancers for the extrapolation of dose, efficacy and safety profiles to humans.