Vinorelbine rescue therapy for dogs with primary urinary bladder carcinoma

The goal of this study was to evaluate the anti-tumour activity and toxicoses of vinorelbine as a palliative rescue therapy for dogs with primary urinary bladder carcinoma. Thirteen dogs refractory to prior chemotherapeutics and one dog naïve to chemotherapeutic treatment were enrolled. Vinorelbine (15 mg m(-2) IV) was administered intravenously along with concurrent oral anti-inflammatory drugs, if tolerated. A median of six doses of vinorelbine (range: 1-16) was administered. Two dogs (14%) had partial responses, and eight (57%) experienced stable disease. Subjective improvement in clinical signs was noted in 11 dogs (78%). Adverse events were mild and primarily haematological in nature. Median time to progression was 93 days (range: 20-239 days). Median survival time for all dogs was 187 days; median survival for 13 pre-treated dogs was 207 days. Vinorelbine may have utility in the management of canine primary urinary bladder carcinoma and should be evaluated in a prospective study.