Prognostic value of baseline absolute lymphocyte concentration and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in dogs with newly diagnosed multi-centric lymphoma.

Canine multi-centric B-cell lymphoma shares similarities with diffuse large B-cell (Non-Hodgkin's) lymphoma (NHL) in people. In people with NHL, lymphopenia at diagnosis and first relapse and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (N:L) > 3.5 are negative prognostic factors for survival. The objective of this study was to determine if lymphocyte concentration at diagnosis and first relapse and N:L were prognostic for survival in dogs with newly diagnosed multi-centric lymphoma. Medical records of 77 dogs with multi-centric lymphoma treated with a CHOP-based chemotherapy protocol were retrospectively evaluated. Absolute lymphocyte concentration and N:L ratio at presentation of dogs pre-treated with steroids was not significantly different from dogs who had not received steroids. On multivariate analysis, only immunophenotype remained significant for progression-free survival (PFS), whereas no variables remained significant for ST. A prospective study of these haematologic variables is warranted to assess their true significance.