A review of 18 cases of feline colonic adenocarcinoma treated with subtotal colectomies and adjuvant carboplatin.

Feline colonic adenocarcinoma is a locally invasive, highly metastatic tumor that is most often treated with wide surgical excision (subtotal colectomy) and systemic chemotherapy either with or without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. In this retrospective study, the outcome of subtotal colectomy and adjuvant carboplatin in 18 client-owned cats is described. The median carboplatin dose was 200 mg/m(2) (range, 200-254 mg/m(2)) q 4 wk with a median of five doses/cat (range was two to seven doses/cat). Limited toxicities were noted. Positive prognostic factors for the disease-free interval included cats that had weight loss as a presenting sign (P < 0.036) and negative prognostic factors for median survival included nodal and distant metastasis (178 versus 328 days and 200 versus 340 days, respectively). The median disease-free interval was 251 days (range, 37-528 days) and the median survival time was 269 days (range, 40-533 days). Subtotal colectomy and adjuvant carboplatin is a safe and potentially effective treatment for cats with colonic adenocarcinoma.