Experimental treatment of gastrointestinal radiation syndrome in dogs

Gastrointestinal radiation syndrome occurred in 27 mongrel dogs irradiated with 9-12 Gy of 60Co γ-rays. Six of them received autologous bone marrow transplantation (auto-BMT), 10 animals were treated with symptomatic and supportive measures only, and the remaining 11 dogs served as controls without any treatment. All animals of the latter two groups died between 3 and 11 days after irradiation without any evidence of hematopoietic recovery. Recovery of gastrointestinal injury was found in 7 dogs treated with symptomatic and supportive measures only. Of 6 dogs having received auto-BMT 2 died 15 days after irradiation, 3 survived over 30 days with recovery of gastrointestinal and hematopoietic injury but died of distemper later, and the other one, still alive, has survived for more than 4 years. The results show that the effective measures for gastrointestinal radiatin syndrome are BMT and symptomatic therapy