Palladia Update -- It's Not Effective For Osteo

[JJNg]

Don't want to downplay the potential side effects of Palladia since it's a serious medication. But the risk of side effects with Palladia is typically lower and less severe than with traditional chemo. And if there are problems, the majority clear up quickly once the medication is stopped. I had a dog who was on Palladia for almost 3 years with absolutely no problems. If your oncologist feels that Palladia is worth a shot, and your wallet can handle it, I wouldn't let the concern about side effects keep you from trying it.

[Victor]

I e-mailed Dr. London about the efficacy of Palladia in treating osteosarcoma that has metastasized to the lung. Here's her response:

 

"I am sorry to hear about your hound; there are no formal studies on Palladia and lung mets in osteosarcoma, but I usually tell owners that about 40-50% of dogs will benefit from therapy with Palladia; we see primarily stabilization of disease for 4-6 months, then the disease generally starts to grow again."

 

I also found that NC State College of Veterinary Medicine is currently conducting a study on Palladia and osteosarcoma, so I guess the jury's still out?

Don't want to downplay the potential side effects of Palladia since it's a serious medication. But the risk of side effects with Palladia is typically lower and less severe than with traditional chemo. And if there are problems, the majority clear up quickly once the medication is stopped. I had a dog who was on Palladia for almost 3 years with absolutely no problems. If your oncologist feels that Palladia is worth a shot, and your wallet can handle it, I wouldn't let the concern about side effects keep you from trying it.

Thanks, JJNg. That's encouraging that your dog tolerated it for almost 3 years!

[NeylasMom]

Thanks, JJNg. That's encouraging that your dog tolerated it for almost 3 years!

Out of all of the dogs in the osteo thread who have been on it, I only recall one person who stopped it because she felt very strongly it was causing side effects with her dog (and the side effects did resolve once they stopped it). So I would say that as far as side effects go, the anecdotal evidence is that most dogs do at least tolerate it.

[tbhounds]

I'm so glad Dr London replied to your e-mail. Sounds like if it's financially feasible then, it would benefit to continue or start the Palladia.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

Perhaps a ray of hope on the horizon for fighting cancer? This article was in our local Buffalo News this past week. One can only hope, that with so many searching for cures, someone has to come up successful. If this works, it may even stretch to veterinary uses according to the article.

 

http://www.buffalonews.com/life-arts/when-cancer-cant-escape-20131007

[Victor]

I'm so glad Dr London replied to your e-mail. Sounds like if it's financially feasible then, it would benefit to continue or start the Palladia.

Me too! Once Lana's blood work returns to normal (her last carboplatin treatment was Monday), I think we'll start her on Palladia.

 

 

 

Perhaps a ray of hope on the horizon for fighting cancer? This article was in our local Buffalo News this past week. One can only hope, that with so many searching for cures, someone has to come up successful. If this works, it may even stretch to veterinary uses according to the article.

 

http://www.buffalonews.com/life-arts/when-cancer-cant-escape-20131007

That would be so wonderful!

[joejoesmom]

I e-mailed Dr. London about the efficacy of Palladia in treating osteosarcoma that has metastasized to the lung. Here's her response:

 

"I am sorry to hear about your hound; there are no formal studies on Palladia and lung mets in osteosarcoma, but I usually tell owners that about 40-50% of dogs will benefit from therapy with Palladia; we see primarily stabilization of disease for 4-6 months, then the disease generally starts to grow again."

 

Interesting, It was Dr. London who told me almost a year ago that the study investigating prevention of lung mets didn't pan out. If my memory serves, she had said that there was a slight improvement in the median time of survival with the dogs in the study that received Palladia (as part of a metronomic protocol) than those that didn't. She felt the improvement was statistically insignificant. I will say that I don't believe this was a "formal" study (double-blind etc.). They gave dogs Palladia and monitored whether these dogs developed lung mets and when. They compared this with previous results from dogs prior to OSU's use of Palladia.

 

Earlier, they had seen some evidence that when Palladia was used in dogs with previously seen lung mets, it delayed the growth of these mets. She told me last December that she hadn't seen similar results with a larger sampling. Once again, I don't believe this was a formal study.

 

It sounds as if additional information or a more detailed review of the outcomes has caused her to revise her opinion. That is good news.

 

edited to add: I also believe most dogs have handled the Palladia well. After Joe developed his second primary osteo tumor, we took him off the metronomic protocol (Palladia/cytoxan/artemisinin). His spirits and appetite did improve noticeably. I don't know which of those drugs had been affecting him though. In any case, he did enjoy life during the year he was on the metronomic protocol, even if in hindsight it was clear it had affected him somewhat. But with Dr. London's statistics of having a 40-50 percent chance of giving him an additional 4 to 6 months, I would definitely try it if I could afford it.

Edited October 10, 2013 by joejoesmom

[Victor]

Thanks, joejoesmom. Perhaps Palladia is effective at halting the growth of existing lung mets (at least half of the time), but not at preventing the occurrence of lung mets? In any case, I agree that it's worth giving it a try once Lana's latest round of carboplatin wears off. I'm glad Joe didn't have any of the serious side effects of Palladia when he was on it.

 

I guess one of the other issues is how often to give Palladia, whether every other day or 3 times a week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a break on Saturday and Sunday). Given how long it takes Lana to recover from carboplatin, her oncologist suggested she might do better on the 3 times a week schedule.

[TwiggysMom]

FWIW, we did 3 days/week. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone knows whether one method is more effective than the other, or whether one has more potential for side effects than the other.

 

If there were any sort of significant reactions from iv chemo, I'd be more inclined to go with the lesser protocol. If not, maybe the every-other-day would be the way to go?

[joejoesmom]

Joe received Palladia every MWF. He got cytoxan on TuThS. He got artemisinin every day. On Sunday he only got artemisinin. I'm not sure any of this is helpful because Joe was getting this metronomic protocol in hopes of preventing visible lung mets. Ultimately, 18 months after his amputation, a secondary osteosarcoma tumor was discovered in the diagonally opposite leg. He had recently (I think 3 to 4 weeks prior) had a clear lung x-ray.

[Victor]

FWIW, we did 3 days/week. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone knows whether one method is more effective than the other, or whether one has more potential for side effects than the other.

 

If there were any sort of significant reactions from iv chemo, I'd be more inclined to go with the lesser protocol. If not, maybe the every-other-day would be the way to go?

 

Thanks, Wendy! I think we're going to try the 3 days/week and see how Lana does on it.

 

Joe received Palladia every MWF. He got cytoxan on TuThS. He got artemisinin every day. On Sunday he only got artemisinin. I'm not sure any of this is helpful because Joe was getting this metronomic protocol in hopes of preventing visible lung mets. Ultimately, 18 months after his amputation, a secondary osteosarcoma tumor was discovered in the diagonally opposite leg. He had recently (I think 3 to 4 weeks prior) had a clear lung x-ray.

Thanks, joejoesmom! We're also giving Lana artemisinin every day. Maybe the Palladia did help Joe as far as preventing lung mets?

[joejoesmom]

 

Thanks, Wendy! I think we're going to try the 3 days/week and see how Lana does on it.

 

Thanks, joejoesmom! We're also giving Lana artemisinin every day. Maybe the Palladia did help Joe as far as preventing lung mets?

Maybe it did. For whatever reason, I got 8 more months than the median survival time. I am forever grateful to Dr. Couto and his team for this.

[Rickiesmom]

Does anyone know if there has been any movement forward on Palladia / metronomic treatment since this thread stopped about 6 months ago? Thank you.