Short-term administration of oclacitinib with concomitant medications in canine epitheliotropic lymphoma: A retrospective study of eight dogs

BACKGROUND: Canine cutaneous epitheliotropic lymphoma (CEL) is a rare neoplastic disease with poor prognosis. Oclacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor primarily used to treat allergic and atopic dermatitis in dogs, may also cause other skin diseases. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oclacitinib in the treatment of canine cutaneous lymphoma. ANIMALS: Eight client-owned dogs with CEL were included in the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dogs were administered oclacitinib. This study examined the immunological characteristics, time to treatment initiation, dosage, cutaneous lesions and pruritus, adverse events, survival time and prior oclacitinib use. RESULTS: Only one of the eight dogs (12.5%) showed symptomatic improvement after oclacitinib treatment, with no clinical improvement observed in the other cases. Improvement in pruritus was noted in only one dog. Adverse events included mild leucopenia in one dog, which did not significantly affect prognosis. The median survival time after diagnosis was 228.5 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results suggest that oral oclacitinib has limited efficacy in the treatment of canine CEL. Larger prospective studies are recommended to further investigate the optimal dose, treatment duration and potential combination therapies involving oclacitinib.

Authors: Y. Baba, T. Asakura, S. Obayashi, M. Yamada, M. Otsuka, S. Morikawa, A. Teh, I. Mitsui and T. Osumi Title: Short-term administration of oclacitinib with concomitant medications in canine epitheliotropic lymphoma: A retrospective study of eight dogs Full source: Vet Dermatol, 2025,Vol Document type: Journal Article
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Abstract	Source
BACKGROUND: Canine cutaneous epitheliotropic lymphoma (CEL) is a rare neoplastic disease with poor prognosis. Oclacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor primarily used to treat allergic and atopic dermatitis in dogs, may also cause other skin diseases. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oclacitinib in the treatment of canine cutaneous lymphoma. ANIMALS: Eight client-owned dogs with CEL were included in the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dogs were administered oclacitinib. This study examined the immunological characteristics, time to treatment initiation, dosage, cutaneous lesions and pruritus, adverse events, survival time and prior oclacitinib use. RESULTS: Only one of the eight dogs (12.5%) showed symptomatic improvement after oclacitinib treatment, with no clinical improvement observed in the other cases. Improvement in pruritus was noted in only one dog. Adverse events included mild leucopenia in one dog, which did not significantly affect prognosis. The median survival time after diagnosis was 228.5 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results suggest that oral oclacitinib has limited efficacy in the treatment of canine CEL. Larger prospective studies are recommended to further investigate the optimal dose, treatment duration and potential combination therapies involving oclacitinib.