Cytoxan... how does it work?

When I started this blog, I wasn't sure if I was going to share it, I figured it would just be an outlet for how I was dealing with my best friends illness.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are probably tons of owners out there that have no idea what chemotherapy is all about.  I mean, we all know that it is a cancer treatment, but what does it do to our pet's bodies?  How does it work?  Even though I have been in the veterinary field for almost 10 years now, I have only had one real encounter with chemotherapy prior to my own cat's diagnosis.  Needless to say, the treatment didn't work well and it was a long difficult battle for the cat that was fighting small cell lymphoma in his GI system.  When I was given my options for Stinky, I was at a loss.  I couldn't afford radiation, and doing nothing wasn't an option.  My decision to do chemo was a dedication to Stinky to do the best I could at helping him get through it, with his health being my priority.  This meant I was not going to just treat his cancer, but actually understand his treatments.  So, that's what lead me to sharing this journey.  I have the ability to just read veterinary journals, but I'd rather put what I find in terms for other owners to understand. 

Ok... so, what is Cytoxan??
Cytoxan, also known as Cyclophosphamide, is a chemotherapy drug belonging to a group of medications called Alkylating agents.  Apparently, this group of drugs have been around for a long time, being one of the first classes of drugs to treat cancer.  These alkylating agents work by reacting with the proteins that link up to make the DNA double helix.  The agents add an alkyl group to the proteins that bond together, preventing the normal proteins to link up like they should, causing them to break.  This leads to cell death.  Again, think back to high school biology...

G-C and A-T  (GCAT... that's how I remembered it)

Alkylation is a little more complex, but what we really need to know is that it causes the DNA helix to not coil or uncoil properly when replicating.  It is a mutation that leads to cancer cell death by taking away the ability for cancer cells to multiply.  Alkylating chemotherapy agents affect every life cycle of cancer cells, so they are quite common and effective in the treatments of many different cancers.

According to many sources that I've read, the biggest side effect in cats is inappetence, vomiting, or diarrhea (which we have been lucky not to experience).  Other side effects include bone marrow suppression between 5 and 14 post dose, and sterile hemorrhagic cystitis.  Some dogs may have alopecia (fur loss) and some cats may lose their whiskers. 

Fingers crossed!  Things are going well for Stinkeroo, lets hope it continues!

Cytoxan dose 1

Just a quick check-in... Stinky's neutrophil count was just about 8000 with a normal WBC count.  Hematocrit, hemoglobin, and RBC are still a little low, but like I said before, we are used to that... Its his normal.  Everything else looked awesome.  He is also back up to 10lbs 3oz.  All of this is really good news!   I gave him his first Cytoxan pill when I got home from a busy morning at work.  He held it down with zero problems and ate well this evening.  He is scheduled for his second dose on Monday.  Tomorrow I plan on posting a little about how this Cytoxan works in the body.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  For all those following me that may be in the same boat, stay strong... You are your pet's most favorite thing in the world!  They want to live for you, so be their rocks.  I've seen some facebook posts about losing the battle.  For those friends, remember all the great times you had. Its not a battle lost... its relief gained.  Life is a battle that nobody will win.  Let memories comfort you until you meet your best friends again, they will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge.



IN MEMORY OF THOSE WE'VE LOST



Just about 2 weeks in

Stink wasn't too happy about going to work with me today, but that made a quick 180 when he realized he was going to be treated like a king and showered with treats and a/d.  It's been 3 days since his antibiotic shot, and he looks great.  The lump under his nose is completely gone and his appetite is ravenous.  I've been cleaning his kitty acne with Pyoben shampoo, that seems to be helping too.  I'm hoping his follow up CBC shows a great neutrophil count.  I'm a little worried because Cytoxan is apparently pretty potent and can cause some serious bone marrow suppression.  The only good thing is that his neutrophils shouldn't bottom out for a couple weeks, which gives him some more time to rebuild.  Will touch base tomorrow on how well he tolerates the Cytoxan pills... please send us some good vibes!





Kitty acne clearing up

small scar under right nostril, but no lump!