• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Just Ask the Expert: How do you treat cats with intestinal lymphoma?

October 1, 2010
Timothy M. Fan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (internal medicine, oncology)

Treatment of feline intestinal lymphoma requires instituting systemic chemotherapy, with or without surgical resection of focal intestinal lesions.

Dr. Fan welcomes oncology questions from veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Click here to submit your question, or send an e-mail to vm@advanstar.com with the subject line "Oncology questions."

Please outline the recommended current chemotherapy protocol for feline intestinal lymphoma and expected survival times.

Fred Metzger, DVM, DABVP

Metzger Animal Hospital

State College, Pa.

Advertisement

About 40% of cats with lymphoma will have primary disease within their intestinal tract. Generally, intestinal lymphoma is B cell in origin and arises in geriatric cats that have negative test results for feline leukemia virus. Anatomically, most intestinal lymphomas involve the small intestine, with lesser frequency of stomach, large intestine, and colon involvement. Intestinal lymphoma can manifest as diffuse infiltrative disease or solitary focal lesions, often with accompanying mesenteric lymph node involvement.

Timothy M. Fan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM

Treatment of feline intestinal lymphoma requires instituting systemic chemotherapy, with or without surgical resection of focal intestinal lesions. The choice of systemic chemotherapy protocols is dictated by the histologic grade (low, intermediate, or high).

Low-grade intestinal lymphoma can be managed with long-term oral therapies composed of chlorambucil (4 mg/m2 orally every other day) and prednisone or prednisolone (1 mg/kg orally daily). The prognosis for cats with low-grade intestinal lymphoma can be relatively good; many cats live for years after diagnosis.

Unlike cats with low-grade variants that are easier to manage, most cats have intermediate- or high-grade lymphomas; these lymphomas are more difficult to manage for sustained durations. In general, conventional cytotoxic agents such as l-asparaginase, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin are effective in reducing tumor burden in cats with intestinal lymphoma. Cats with intermediate- or high-grade lymphoma treated with a multiagent chemotherapy protocol, such as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin [doxorubicin], Oncovin [vincristine], and prednisolone), may achieve response rates of 50% to 70%, and survival times range from seven to 10 months.

Timothy M. Fan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (small animal internal medicine, oncology)

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine

College of Veterinary Medicine

University of Illinois

Urbana, IL 61802

SUGGESTED READING

1. Richter KP. Feline gastrointestinal lymphoma. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2003;33(5):1083-1098.

2. Wilson HM. Feline alimentary lymphoma: demystifying the enigma. Top Companion Anim Med 2008;23(4):177-184.

Related Content:

OncologyFeline Medicine
Morris Animal Foundation funds study on environmental toxins and lymphoma
Morris Animal Foundation funds study on environmental toxins and lymphoma
Combining the best of private practice with clinic spay/neuter care
Combining the best of private practice with clinic spay/neuter care
Constant-rate infusions for feline pain
Constant-rate infusions for feline pain

Advertisement

Latest News

Locoregional analgesia for pain management in veterinary medicine

Outside toxicology experts can save pets’ lives

Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine names founding dean

Morris Animal Foundation funds study on environmental toxins and lymphoma

View More Latest News
Advertisement