Jueves, 25.Abril.2024
Appropriate management of dogs with lymphoma begins with a well-timed and accurate diagnosis, taking into account both tumor and patient characteristics.
Pretreatment clinical staging accomplishes several important goals: it determines the anatomic extent of lymphoma, allows an accurate prognosis to be given to the owners, and helps direct therapy. The knowledge of lymphoma extension makes it possible to accurately restage dogs at the end of therapy to document the response type. Finally, standardized methods for staging are essential to critically assess and compare different therapeutic strategies, as incomplete staging work up impedes the comparison of study results.
The studies published over the years have resulted in a considerable increase in knowledge and revealed controversies in opinions and beliefs. Many questions remain in the field of diagnostic criteria and staging requirements, which are of direct consequence for dogs' management.
