Metronomic therapy to manage the veterinary patient with cancer

Abstract

Cancer is a frequent problem in veterinary practice in small animals; aggressive strategies with several side-effects are used to its control, which hasstimulated research of new therapeutic options. The metronomic chemotherapyconsists in regular administration of low doses of antineoplasticdrugs for long periods of time. Together with its antitumor potential, it isadministrated easily and has apparent reduced toxicity, showing clinicalbenefits within advanced diseases or geriatric and weak patients mainlyby angiogenesis inhibition and antitumor immune modulation. In smallanimals, cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil and lomustine have been usedmainly, in some cases associated with other drugs, to treat several kinds oftumors, obtaining clinical advantages and low toxicities. However, currentstudies are limited, and selection of most doses and intervals use to beempirical, in detriment of therapeutic efficacy. This work aims to evidencethe potential use of this kind of antineoplastic chemotherapy in domesticanimals, as well as the advances in comprehension of its mechanisms ofaction, drugs, schedules and toxic effects, trying to do a best and moreaware use of this chemotherapy strategy in oncologic patients.