Comparison of Carboplatin and Doxorubicin-Based Chemotherapy Protocols in 470 Dogs after Amputation for Treatment of Appendicular Osteosarcoma

Background Many chemotherapy protocols have been reported for treatment of canine appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA), but outcome comparisons in a single population are lacking. Objective To evaluate the effects of protocol and dose intensity (DI) on treatment outcomes for carboplatin and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy protocols. Animals Four hundred and seventy dogs with appendicular OSA. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed comprising consecutive dogs treated (1997-2012) with amputation followed by 1 of 5 chemotherapy protocols: carboplatin 300mg/m(2) IV q21d for 4 or 6 cycles (CARBO6), doxorubicin 30mg/m(2) IV q14d or q21d for 5 cycles, and alternating carboplatin 300mg/m(2) IV and doxorubicin 30mg/m(2) IV q21d for 3 cycles. Adverse events (AE) and DI were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare disease-free interval (DFI) and survival time (ST) among protocols. Results The overall median DFI and ST were 291days and 284days, respectively. A lower proportion of dogs prescribed CARBO6 experienced AEs compared to other protocols (48.4% versus 60.8-75.8%; P=.001). DI was not associated with development of metastases or death. After adjustment for baseline characteristics and prognostic factors, none of the protocols provided a significant reduction in risk of development of metastases or death. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although choice of protocol did not result in significant differences in DFI or ST, the CARBO6 protocol resulted in a lower proportion of dogs experiencing AEs, which could be advantageous in maintaining high quality of life during treatment. DI was not a prognostic indicator in this study.