Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone metastasis in dogs with advanced solid cancer signs and outcomes
By Agnoli, C et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective study on bone metastasis in dogs with advanced-stage solid cancer.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with advanced solid cancers, including those affecting the mammary gland and spleen, developed bone metastases, which are cancer spread to the bones. Many of these dogs showed symptoms related to bone pain or discomfort. Treatment varied, with some receiving antitumor therapy, while others did not receive any treatment at all. Unfortunately, the overall survival rate after diagnosis of bone metastases was low, averaging just 30 days, and dogs that did not receive treatment had a significantly shorter lifespan. This highlights the importance of seeking treatment for dogs diagnosed with bone metastases to improve their chances of survival.
People also search for: dog bone cancer treatment · dog cancer survival rates · symptoms of dog bone metastasis
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To review clinical characteristics, treatment, outcome and prognostic factors in dogs with solid cancer-bearing bone metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records were reviewed from dogs with histologically-proven solid cancer and bone metastases. Clinicopathologic variables, bone metastases characteristics and skeletal-related events were recorded. Endpoints were time to bone metastases and survival. RESULTS: Fifty dogs were included, 20 of them with synchronous and 30 of them with metachronous bone metastases. In the latter group, median time to diagnosis of bone metastases was 210 days (range, 30 to 1835). Most common primary cancer locations included mammary gland (n=6), spleen (n=5) and tonsil (n=5). Most common histotypes were carcinoma (n=32) and hemangiosarcoma (n=10). Nineteen dogs had multiple bones involvement, with humeri and vertebrae more commonly affected. Twenty-four dogs received antitumoural therapy, five symptomatic treatment and 21 were not treated. Overall median survival after bone metastases diagnosis was 30 days (range, 11 to 49); 83% of dogs died because of skeletal-related events. Lack of antitumoural therapy was significantly associated with shorter survival (hazard ratio: 2.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 5.6) and with increased risk of skeletal-related death (hazard ratio: 3.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 7.4). Dogs with endocrine/neuroendocrine tumours (odds ratio: 8.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 63.9), without appendicular metastases (odds ratio: 5.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.0 to 25.8), without extra-skeletal metastases (odds ratio: 5.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.1 to 24.5) and receiving antitumoural therapy (odds ratio: 14.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.7 to 131.4) had an increased chance of surviving more than 100 days. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Bone metastases in dogs with solid cancers are associated with poor prognosis and a high risk of skeletal-related events. Treatment appears to have an impact on survival.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37186237/