Few veterinary studies have evaluated the response to chemotherapy treatment of canine intranasal tumours, while many have focused on the efficacy of radiation therapy. Given the higher costs and limited access to radiation therapy, alternative treatment options are needed. The study describes a cohort of dogs with histologically confirmed intranasal tumours treated with chemotherapy as a sole therapy. This retrospective study was conducted using data from the Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre (MVSC) database between 2004 and 2017. Dogs with a histologically confirmed intranasal tumour who received chemotherapy treatment were included. Signalment, presenting signs, tumour type, chemotherapy details, adverse events and survival times were reviewed. Twenty-nine dogs met the inclusion criteria. Overall median survival time for dogs in the study was 234 days (range 12-1698 days). Median survival for dogs with adenocarcinoma or carcinoma (n = 12) was 280 days, transitional cell carcinoma (n = 6) 163 days, squamous cell carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma (n = 7) 59 days, and all sarcomas (n = 4) 448 days. Adverse events were reported following 28% of treatments and 69% of dogs experienced at least one adverse event. Twenty four per cent of all dogs experienced grade 3 or 4 toxicities. The chemotherapy protocol was generally well tolerated. The study suggests potential benefit in the use of chemotherapy for dogs with adenocarcinoma, carcinoma and sarcoma. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A 6-month-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat was examined for pain and swelling of the distal limbs. Swelling and malalignment of both carpi, dorsiflexion of the distal metatarsals and a mild, multicentric lymphadenopathy were detected on examination. Screening blood tests revealed a biclonal gammopathy, hypercalcemia and atypical leukocytes. Survey radiographs revealed lysis and proliferative changes within the physes. Multiple pathological physeal fractures were present, including the distal radii, metacarpal and metatarsal bones. No treatment was attempted and the patient was euthanased. Histopathology revealed infiltration by monomorphic round cells within the liver, spleen, kidney and bone marrow. Immunohistochemistry revealed strong reactivity to CD20. Clonality assays revealed clonal results for the B-cell loci, consistent with B-cell lymphoma. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of polyostotic lymphoma with multiple pathological fractures in a cat. The predominantly distal distribution of osseous lesions is rarely reported in dogs and humans.

Introduction:The combination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often used to investigate intracranial disease in dogs. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine if the total nucleated cell count (TNCC) or cytology findings in abnormal CSF are associated with the prevalence of MRI abnormalities. Materials and methods: For each case, the TNCC was categorized into one of three groups:6 /L); and C (.100×10 6 /L). Cytology findings were categorized by the predominant cell type as lymphocytic, monocytoid, neutrophilic, or eosinopilic. MRI descriptions were classified as either normal or abnormal, and abnormal studies were further evaluated for the presence of specific characteristics (multifocal or diffuse disease versus focal disease, positive T2-weighted hyperintensity, positive FLAIR hyperintensity, contrast enhancement, mass effect, and the presence of poorly or well-defined lesion margins). Results: Forty-five dogs met the inclusion criteria and MRI abnormalities were found in 29/45 (64%) dogs. TNCCs were not associated with the prevalence of MRI abnormalities or specific characteristics. Cytology categories were significantly associated with the prevalence of MRI abnormalities (P,0.001). Specifically, monocytoid cytology was 22.8 times more likely to have an abnormal MRI than lymphocytic cytology. CSF cytology was not significantly associated with specific abnormal MRI characteristics. Conclusion: There are minimal associations between CSF abnormalities and the prevalence of MRI abnormalities. These results support the continued importance of utilizing both tests when investigating intracranial disease. When CSF analysis must be performed initially, this study has demonstrated that an abnormal CSF with a monocytoid cytology supports the value of performing a brain MRI in dogs with evidence of intracranial neurological disease.