Veterinarian, Internal Medicine Western Animal Medical Center Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Abstract: Background Feline carcinomas are aggressive malignancies with limited systemic treatment options. Although toceranib phosphate has shown tolerability and disease stabilization in cats, controlled survival data remain limited. Hypothesis/Objectives To evaluate the safety and survival outcomes associated with toceranib phosphate in cats with carcinoma compared with untreated controls. Animals Fifty-two client-owned cats with cytologic or histopathologic confirmation of carcinoma treated at a single institution between 2021 and 2024. Methods A retrospective controlled cohort study was conducted. Cats receiving toceranib for at least 14 days were assigned to the treated group (n = 34), while untreated or minimally treated cats served as controls (n = 18). Toceranib was administered at a median dose of 2.6 mg/kg every 48 to 72 hours. Adverse events were graded using VCOG-CTCAE v2. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Results Toceranib was well tolerated, with 53% of treated cats experiencing predominantly Grade 1 to 2 adverse events and no Grade 4 to 5 toxicities or treatment-related deaths. No objective responses were observed; however, 41.2% of evaluable cats achieved stable disease lasting at least 8 weeks. Median overall survival was significantly longer in toceranib-treated cats in the palliative cohort (61 days versus 8 days; P < 0.001), adjuvant cohort (730 days versus 261 days; P = 0.016), and pooled epithelial carcinomas (P = 0.032). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Toceranib phosphate was safe and associated with prolonged survival in cats with carcinoma, supporting disease stabilization as a clinically meaningful therapeutic endpoint.
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