Betere hartscreening voor honden die worden behandeld met chemotherapie (Engelstalige versie)

English version for vets

Doxorubicin is a highly effective chemotherapy drug used for the treatment of pet cancer such as lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma in dogs, with the goal of improving both their quality of life and prognosis. However, a known complication of doxorubicin administration is the development of chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy (CICM). This refers to development of irreversible damage to the heart muscle (myocardium), which can result in reduced pump function (systolic dysfunction) and potentially lead to heart failure, manifesting as symptoms such as pulmonary edema or ascites. These outcomes are associated with a poor quality of life and prognosis. This complication has been extensively documented in human cancer patients treated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. In dogs, doxorubicin has also been identified as potentially cardiotoxic, leading to reduced heart function and heart failure. However, there are currently few scientific studies addressing this issue in veterinary medicine. Furthermore, there are no established guidelines available for cardiac monitoring and follow-up in canine cancer patients, receiving doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (CHOP protocol, doxorubicin-carboplatin combination, doxorubicin monotherapy…).

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY?

In human medicine, advanced echocardiographic techniques (two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, 2D-STE) are used routinely for early detection of CICM. This technique allows doctors to detect subtle changes in myocardial function, which can’t be detected with standard echocardiography. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the usefulness of 2D-STE for early detection of CICM in dogs receiving doxorubicin-based chemotherapy regarding optimalization of chemotherapy and improving prognosis and quality of life of canine cancer patients.

PARTICIPATING IN THIS STUDY

By participating in this project you contribute to improving the diagnosis of CICM in dogs. Your participation can provide valuable information that may lead to a better prognosis and quality of life for dogs affected by this complication in the future. If you refer a patient, your patient will undergo periodic cardiac examinations, in consultation with the oncologist and cardiologist. Echocardiography will be performed before the administration of each doxorubicin dose. An electrocardiography, cardiac troponin I measurement and blood pressure measurement will performed simultaneously.  

Participation in this study means that your patient will receive extensive screening and follow-up during and after cancer treatment, free of charge. As the referring veterinarian, you will receive detailed information about the animal's health status, as well as advice and support from our specialist team throughout the entire examination process. Your cooperation is invaluable in our efforts to better understand and early detect CICM in dogs.

ARE YOU INTERESTED TO CONTRIBUTE?

You can contribute to this project in different ways:

• You diagnosed a dog with cancer and made a treatment plan, including doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (CHOP protocol, doxorubicin-carboplatin therapy, doxorubicin monotherapy…): you can contact our team for baseline cardiac screening of your patient via email (khd@ugent.be, gitte.mampaey@ugent.be) or via phone (09/264 77 00). The baseline screening needs to be performed before administration of the first dose of doxorubicin. The patient follow-up, including administration of chemotherapy can be performed at your practice. However, the patient should be referred to our cardiology specialist 1 day before every doxorubicin administration for cardiac follow-up. Alternatively, the doxorubicin can be administered in our clinic (after consulting with our oncology/internal medicine specialist) following the cardiac examination on the same day. The rest of the chemotherapy and follow-up can be done at your practice.

• You have a patient with suspected / diagnosed cancer and would like to refer for complete treatment and follow-up to our clinic: you can make an appointment on oncology to discuss the ideal treatment protocol for your pet. An appointment can be booked by contacting the secretary 09/264 77 00. Our team of oncology / internal medicine will contact the cardiology specialist to start heart screening and follow-up when doxorubicin-based chemotherapy is advised.

If you have any questions regarding the study, please contact our team of cardiology specialists via  cardiologie.khd@ugent.be.