Effect of Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors to Treatment with Oral Prednisone Alone

Abstract

For 58 cases of canine mast cell tumours, the tumour volume reduction was measured following 1-4 weeks of treatment with prednisolone administered once a day. The median dose of prednisolone was 21.5 mg/mz. Tumour reduction was observed in 35 cases, with a response rate of 60.4%. Moreover, the median times for obtaining a complete or partial response were 14 and 10.5 days, respectively. Among the response group of 35 cases (complete response=7; partial response=28) and the non-response group of 23 cases (no change [stable disease]=18; additional swelling [progressive disease]=5), a significant difference was observed in the initial tumour volume (P0.001), with the median volume being 2.69 cmg for the response group and 18.85 cmg for the non-response group. The importance of using prednisolone as a treatment for canine mast cell tumours was reconfirmed. Furthermore, it was shown that the smaller the tumour volume, the more effective the prednisolone treatment would be.