Lomustine for treatment of mast cell tumors in cats: 38 cases (1999–2005)

Objective—To determine clinical activity and toxic effects of lomustine when used to treat cats with mast cell tumors (MCTs). Design—Retrospective case series. Animals—38 cats with measurable, histologically or cytologically confirmed MCTs treated with lomustine at a dosage ≥ 50 mg/m2. Procedures—Medical records were reviewed to determine response to treatment and evidence of drug toxicoses. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate remission duration. Results—26 cats had cutaneous MCTs, 7 had MCTs of the mesenteric lymph nodes, 2 had gastrointestinal tract MCTs, 2 had hepatic MCTs, and 1 had MCTs involving multiple organs. Targeted lomustine dosage was 50 mg/m2 in 22 cats and 60 mg/m2 in 16 cats. Median administered dosage of lomustine was 56 mg/m2 (range, 48 to 65 mg/m2), and median number of doses administered was 2 (range, 1 to 12). Seven cats had a complete response and 12 had a partial response, for an overall response rate of 50%. Median response duration was 168 days (range, 25 to 727 days). Th...