Medical Oncology: All About Palladia®
What Is Palladia?
Palladia is the first FDA-approved canine-specific anticancer therapy. It was approved in 2009.
What Type(s) of Cancer Can Be Treated With Palladia?
Palladia is approved for the treatment of grade 2 or 3 cutaneous mast cell tumors with or without lymph node involvement in dogs. Palladia can be used to treat many other cancers in dogs and cats.
Palladia works by stopping cells from dividing and stopping blood vessels from growing within tumors. This starves the cells of nutrients, causing them to die.
How Is Palladia Given?
Palladia is an oral drug given at home. It is given every other day, or three times per week, depending on the patient. Palladia tablets cannot be crushed or split. It can be given with food.
How Successful Is Palladia?
We will discuss the definition of successful treatment with you before starting your pet on Palladia. In some cases, success means tumors shrink or disappear. In other cases, it means preventing the spread of cancer. And in others, it means cancer stays the same for as long as possible.
If your dog has a mast cell tumor further testing can be done on the biopsy to determine if Palladia is a good choice for treatment.
How Long Will My Pet Need To Take Palladia?
This depends on the diagnosis and response to treatment. Some pets are prescribed 6-12 months of treatment. Others may be on Palladia life-long. We usually know if Palladia is working within the first 6 weeks of treatment.
Is Palladia Safe?
Many owners think Palladia is a safer choice for their pets because it is given orally and at home. Palladia is still a serious drug. Patients receiving Palladia still need frequent monitoring for complications from the drug.
Palladia can cause side effects including:
- Decreased appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Low white blood cell counts
- High blood pressure
- Protein loss in urine
- Lameness
- Whitening of fur
While these side effects usually stop when the drug is stopped, they can be serious and
impact your pet’s quality of life. The amount of Palladia can be adjusted as well as how
often it is given. Pets may also tolerate Palladia better if they receive medication
including antacids. Some pets do not tolerate the drug, even with those changes.
How Often Are The Visits?
Rechecks are scheduled at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after starting treatment. Further rechecks depend on the response to treatment and the pet’s overall status but are usually scheduled every 2-3 months. Pets must be seen and undergo monitoring to continue to receive Palladia.
What Do You Monitor?
- Physical exam: To make sure the pet is otherwise healthy and to assess their disease.
- Complete blood count (CBC): To check red and white cell and platelet values. These can decrease from treatment with Palladia. This could lead to bleeding, bruising, weakness/lethargy, and infection.
- Chemistry panel: To check organ function and electrolyte status. Palladia can cause liver or kidney problems.
- Urinalysis: To check for loss of protein in the urine. If this happens the pet could develop problems clotting its blood.
- Blood pressure: Palladia can cause high blood pressure. This can also affect the kidneys and cause protein loss in the urine.
Do I Have To Worry About Having Palladia In My Home?
You must wear gloves when handling Palladia tablets or the urine, feces, and vomit from patients receiving this drug
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and immunocompromised individuals and children should not handle Palladia.