Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with pituitary tumor treated by radioactive microspheres injection
By Morsink, Nino Chiron et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Radioactive Holmium-166 Microspheres for the Intratumoral Treatment of a Canine Pituitary Tumor.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier was brought in for behavioral changes, restlessness, a stiff gait, and compulsive circling. An MRI and CT scan revealed a large pituitary tumor that was affecting the dog's brain. The veterinarians treated the tumor with a new method involving injections of radioactive microspheres directly into the tumor. After 138 days, the tumor shrank by 40%, but the dog later showed recurring symptoms, leading to surgery. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized two weeks later at the owner's request due to worsening conditions.
People also search for: dog pituitary tumor treatment · Jack Russell Terrier behavior changes · radioactive treatment for dog tumor
Abstract
In this case study, a client-owned dog with a large pituitary tumor was experimentally treated by intratumoral injection of radioactive holmium-166 microspheres (HoMS), namedHo microbrachytherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first intracranial intratumoral treatment through needle injection of radioactive microspheres.A 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier was referred to the Clinic for Companion Animal Health (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands) with behavioral changes, restlessness, stiff gait, and compulsive circling. MRI and CT showed a pituitary tumor with basisphenoid bone invasion and marked mass effect. The tumor measured 8.8 cmwith a pituitary height-to-brain area (P/B) ratio of 1.86 cm[pituitary height (cm) ×10/brain area (cm)]. To reduce tumor volume and neurological signs,HoMS were administered in the tumor center by transsphenoidal CT-guided needle injections.Two manual CT-guided injections were performed containing 0.6 ml ofHoMS suspension in total. A total of 1097 MBq was delivered, resulting in a calculated average tumor dose of 1866 Gy. At 138 days after treatment, the tumor volume measured 5.3 cmwith a P/B ratio of 1.41 cm, revealing a total tumor volume reduction of 40%. Debulking surgery was performed five months afterHoMS treatment due to recurrent neurological signs. The patient was euthanized two weeks later at request of the owners. Histopathological analysis indicated a pituitary adenoma at time of treatment, with more malignant characteristics during debulking surgery.The 40% tumor volume reduction without evident severe periprocedural side effects demonstrated the feasibility of intracranial intratumoralHoMS treatment in this single dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34805338/