PROGNOSTIC FACTORS FOR TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMA IN DOGS

Pretreatment characteristics of 138 dogs with malignant lymphoma were analyzed to determine prognostic factors associated with outcome (ie, complete response rate, time to relapse after complete response, survi val time). Dogs were all treated for 10 weeks, wing a standard inducti on chemotherapy protocol, and were then given asparaginase weekly. Onc e the disease became progressive, second-line chemotherapy was institu ted. Age, sex, weight, clinical stage, performance grade, immunophenot ype, and malignancy grade assigned according to the National Cancer In stitute's Working Formulation were not associated with complete respon se rate. However, malignancy grade assigned according to the Kiel clas sification was found to be associated with complete response rate, dog s with high-grade malignancies had a significantly higher complete res ponse rate than did dogs with low-grade malignancies.By means of multi variate analysis, clinical stage and immunophenotype were found to be prognostic factors for time to relapse (among dogs that had had a comp lete response) and survival time. In addition, malignancy grade assign ed according to the Kiel classification was found to be a prognostic f actor for time to relapse, whereas, malignancy grade assigned accordin g to the Working Formulation was determined to be a prognostic factor for survival time.