The efficacy of intratumoural 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of equine sarcoids.
Abstract: To document the efficacy of intratumoural injections of 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of equine sarcoids. Methods: A prospective study that included 13 horses and one donkey. Methods: Sarcoids were confirmed by histological examination and treated with intratumoural 5-fluorouracil every 2 weeks. If the sarcoids did not resolve after seven treatments, treatment was considered a failure. All cases were re-examined 6 months after treatment commenced and owners were telephoned 3 years after commencement of treatment to report on tumour recurrence. Outcome comparisons were performed to determine the effect of previous treatment, tumour size and tumour location on sarcoid resolution. The efficacy of intratumoural 5-fluorouracil was compared with other previously documented treatments of equine sarcoids. Results: Sarcoids smaller than 13.5 cm3 were significantly (P = 0.032) more likely to resolve with treatment than larger sarcoids. Sarcoids that were not responsive to previous therapies were significantly (P = 0.007) more likely to recur after 3 years than sarcoids that had not been treated prior to this study. In this study, there were similar rates of resolution in cases with mutiple tumours (66.6%) when compared to cases with single tumours (60%). The numbers in this study were too small to properly evaluate the effect of tumour location on the success of treatment. Intratumoural 5-fluorouracil appeared to have resolved sarcoids in 9 of 13 cases (61.5%) as determined by follow up conversation with the owners 3 years after the initial treatment. Conclusions: The use of intratumoural 5-fluorouracil compares favourably with other treatment modalities for sarcoids, with a long term successful resolution rate of 61.5%. Owners should be warned that resistant sarcoids and sarcoids larger than 13.5 cm3 have a poorer prognosis for resolution and more aggressive therapeutic options should be considered.
Publication Date: 2006-03-25 PubMed ID: 16555558DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2006.tb12239.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research investigates the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil injections given directly into tumours for treating equine (horse) sarcoids, a type of skin tumour found in horses. The study conducted over several years concludes that this treatment method has a long term success rate of 61.5%, proving it to be a worthy comparative to other treatment methods.
Study Design and Methodology
- The research was carried out prospectively on 13 horses and a donkey. All animals had sarcoids, which were confirmed via histological examination.
- The animals were treated with an anti-cancer drug known as 5-fluorouracil, administered directly into the tumours (intratumoural) every 2 weeks.
- If sarcoids did not disappear after seven such treatments, the treatment was deemed unsuccessful for that particular case.
Outcomes and Observations
- Post-treatment, the animals were re-evaluated after 6 months. Plus, three years post the start of the treatment, the owners were contacted to report about the condition of the tumours.
- The research noted that smaller sarcoids (less than 13.5 cm3) were significantly more likely (P = 0.032) to resolve with the treatment than those larger in size.
- Sarcoids that had proven resistant to previous treatments were more likely to return (P = 0.007) three years after this study than those that had not been treated previously.
- The rates of tumour resolution were comparable in animals with multiple tumours versus those with a single one – 66.6% versus 60%, respectively.
- The small number of participants in the study meant that an accurate evaluation of the impact of tumour location on treatment success was not feasible.
- Overall, 9 out of the 13 cases (61.5%) had demonstrated resolution of sarcoids as per the owners’ report three years after the initial treatment.
Conclusions
- The research concludes that using intratumoural 5-fluorouracil compares positively with other sarcoid treatments, given its 61.5% long term success rate.
- However, the study also warns owners that sarcoids resistant to other treatments and those larger than 13.5 cm3 carry a poorer prognosis for cure, and might require more aggressive treatment approaches.
Cite This Article
APA
Stewart AA, Rush B, Davis E.
(2006).
The efficacy of intratumoural 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of equine sarcoids.
Aust Vet J, 84(3), 101-106.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2006.tb12239.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois, 1008 W. Hazelwood Dr., Urbana-Champaign, IL 61802, USA. aaw@uiuc.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
- Equidae
- Female
- Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / veterinary
- Prognosis
- Prospective Studies
- Skin Neoplasms / drug therapy
- Skin Neoplasms / pathology
- Skin Neoplasms / veterinary
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Yi Z, Gao Y, Yu F, Zhu Y, Liu H, Li J, Murua Escobar H. Interventions for treatment of cutaneous melanoma in horses: a structured literature review.. Vet Res Commun 2023 Jun;47(2):347-360.
- Araldi RP, Assaf SMR, Carvalho RF, Carvalho MACR, Souza JM, Magnelli RF, Módolo DG, Roperto FP, Stocco RC, Beçak W. Papillomaviruses: a systematic review.. Genet Mol Biol 2017 Jan-Mar;40(1):1-21.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
