Amputation and doxorubicin for treatment of canine and feline osteogenic sarcoma

Fourteen dogs and 3 cats with naturally occurring oesteogenic sarcoma of the appendicular skeleton were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy using doxorubican HCl following treatment of the primary tumor by amputation or disarticulation. Doxorubican HCl was given intravenously every 21 days at a dosage of 30 mg/m 2 body surface area commencing 3 weeks after amputation, and continuing for 6 months or until metastatic disease was recognized radiographically. The median duration of clinical signs prior to surgical treatment for 14 dogs was 51 days (mean, 54 days; range, 7–127 days). The median time interval between surgery and onset of radiographically evident metastatic disease for 9 dogs was 73 days (range 50–160 days). Median post-operative survival for 14 dogs was 104 days (range 52–368 days); 35% were alive 6 months post-operatively, 21% were still alive at 9 months and 14% survived more than one year. Times to onset of metastatic disease and survival times were calculated from day of surgical treatment. For 3 cats duration of preoperative clinical signs were 24, 70 and 95 days; intervals prior to metastatic disease for 2 cats were 133 and 274 days; and survival times were 143, 180 and 414 days.