Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Small-breed dogs live longer with chemo after bone cancer amputation
By Zanardi, Stefano et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2025·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Adjuvant Chemotherapy Is Associated With Prolonged Survival Time in Small-Breed Dogs Undergoing Amputation for Appendicular Osteosarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A small-breed dog diagnosed with appendicular osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) underwent amputation and was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (additional treatment after surgery). The study found that dogs who received chemotherapy after their surgery lived significantly longer, with an average survival time of about 353 days compared to just 150 days for those who only had the amputation. This suggests that chemotherapy may help improve survival for small dogs with this aggressive cancer. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine the best treatment approach.
People also search for: small dog bone cancer treatment · appendicular osteosarcoma in dogs · chemotherapy for dogs with cancer
Abstract
Adjuvant chemotherapy is a well-established treatment for large-breed dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma; however, it is unclear if it improves outcomes in small-breed dogs due to limited focused studies. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the oncologic outcomes of dogs weighting less than 15 kg with appendicular osteosarcoma that underwent curative resection with or without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Endpoints were time to distant progression (TTDP) and overall survival (OS). Medical records from multiple institutions were reviewed, and 43 dogs were included in the analysis: 17 underwent surgery alone and 26 also received adjuvant chemotherapy. The median TTDP for all dogs was 265 days, with no significant difference between treatment groups. The median OS for all dogs was 270 days, and it was significantly different between amputated dogs (150 days) and those also receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (353 days, p = 0.002). In our cohort, osteosarcoma in small breeds behaved as aggressive as in large breeds. Adjuvant chemotherapy may prolong survival. Future randomised studies are needed to provide definitive evidence on the necessity of adjuvant chemotherapy to address metastatic spread in small-breed dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39797571/