lymphoma cancer | Lymphoma in dogs

Lymphoma in dogs

Our dogs are likely, just like humans, to develop lymphoma, this cancer of the lymphatic system. This is the third most common form of cancer in dogs.

Understanding lymphoma in Dogs
Lymphoma is a malignant tumor, in other words cancer, of the lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system is composed of both the entire lymph vessels that convey the lymph of the organs to the lymph nodes and organs of the lymphoid tissue rich in white blood cells such as spleen, thymus and tonsils. The lymphatic system extends to other organs and tissues such as bone marrow or intestines. It has many functions in the body including the circulation of immune cells in the body and the defense of the organism during an infection.

In the case of lymphoma, tumor cells may invade lymph nodes and/or other organs such as spleen, skin, liver or bone marrow.

There is no lymphoma but lymphomas. They are classified into two types: B lymphomas, more common, and T lymphomas. For each of these two types, there are lymphoma subtypes that each have their own clinical sign, prognosis and treatment.

The causes of lymphoma
Like any cancer, it is a multifactorial disease whose exact cause is not known. However, it was noted that the disease was preferentially affecting dogs with weakened immune systems belonging to the boxer race.

It is also known that environmental pollutants such as dioxins, pesticides or benzenes would promote the occurrence of lymphomas.

The symptoms of lymphoma
The signs of lymphoma vary depending on its location in the body. Thus, one can observe a palpable mass in the neck in the case of lymphoma which affects several lymph nodes of the cervical region, vomiting in case of lymphoma of the intestine or jaundice (jaundice) if the lymphoma has reached the liver.

In any case, you may also notice symptoms that are not very specific such as fatigue and weight loss.

Diagnosis and treatment of dog lymphomas
The diagnosis of lymphoma is done from the biopsy of a ganglion or organ followed by an analysis of the constituent cells of the sample of tissue taken. The biopsy can be followed by imaging examinations (ultrasound or scanner) to evaluate the extension of lymphoma to another part of the body.

Treatment is based on the implementation of a chemotherapy protocol that involves the administration of one or more anti-cancer drugs. The nature and duration of treatment varies depending on the type of lymphoma identified and its stage of evolution, between 6 months and one year. Classically, the first part of the protocol consists of 1 session per week for 1-2 months and the second part of the protocol allows the sessions to be spaced every 3 weeks. The treatment may be accompanied by side effects but it is generally rather well tolerated by the dogs. Its efficacy depends on the type of lymphoma and its stage of evolution. Although the treatment rarely allows a complete recovery, one can nevertheless expect a remission i.e. a disappearance of symptoms, an improvement in the quality of life of the sick dog and an increase in his life expectancy from 9 months to 2 years.

Chemotherapy treatment has the immense disadvantage of having a very high cost which is explained on the one hand by the price of the molecules and on the other hand by the needs of hospitalization that it implies. In fact, chemotherapy requires a 24-hour hospitalization after the administration of the drugs to allow the veterinarian to treat potential side effects and collect the manure from the treated animal, which has become toxic For the environment.

Chemotherapy may be preceded by surgery or radiation in the case of localized tumours.