Evaluation of intracavitary mitoxantrone and carboplatin for treatment of carcinomatosis,sarcomatosis and mesothelioma,with or without malignant effusions: A retrospective analysis of 12 cases (1997–2002)*

Carcinomatosis, sarcomatosis and mesothelioma, with or without malignant effusions, are difficult to treat and generally carry a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was two‐fold; first, to determine the prognosis for dogs with carcinomatosis, sarcomatosis, or mesothelioma, with or without malignant effusions; second, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatment with intracavitary (IC) carboplatin and mitoxantrone in dogs with these syndromes. Nineteen dogs were evaluated. Seven were untreated and 12 were treated with IC chemotherapy (mitoxantrone and/or carboplatin), and multiple factors were analysed for significance with respect to survival time. The median survival time (MST) for untreated dogs was 25 days, whereas the MST for treated dogs was 332 days (Log Rank, P < 0.0001). Treatment with IC chemotherapy was well tolerated. This study suggests that IC chemotherapy with mitoxantrone and/or carboplatin is an effective treatment for dogs with carcinomatosis, sarcomatosis or mesothelioma, with or without malignant effusion.     

A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE SONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS OF ABDOMINAL CARCINOMATOSIS IN 14 CATS

A retrospective review was performed on 14 cats with histology- or cytology-proven carcinomatosis. The mean age was 12.7 years with a median of 11 years. The diagnosis of carcinomatosis was made by histology in 11 cats and cytology in three cats. Twelve cats had cytologic examination of the peritoneal free fluid and seven cats (58.3%) had evidence of malignant cells. The primary tumor site was determined in 13 cats. The most common organ locations for the primary tumor were the liver (n = 5), pancreas (n = 3), and small intestine (n = 3). Other sites were stomach and spleen in one cat each. Epithelial cell neoplasia was the primary tumor type in 11 cats. Two cats had abdominal lymphomatosis and one cat had abdominal sarcomatosis secondary to metastatic hemangiosarcoma. Free peritoneal fluid and masses in the connecting peritoneum were found in all cats (100%). Additional findings included primary or metastatic masses in abdominal organs in 10 cats (71.4%), lymph node enlargement in five cats (35.7%), pleural effusion in three cats (21.4%), parietal peritoneal masses in two cats (14.3%), and visceral peritoneal masses in one cat (7.1%). Masses in the connecting peritoneal may be a very specific finding for carcinomatosis in cats, especially with a concurrent abdominal neoplastic mass. Parietal and visceral peritoneal masses, while uncommon in this series of cats, have not been reported for other diseases and seem to strongly support a diagnosis of carcinomatosis.