Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with scapular tumors treated by scapulectomy and their outcomes
By Montinaro, Vincenzo et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2013·Department for Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical outcome of 42 dogs with scapular tumors treated by scapulectomy: a Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology (VSSO) retrospective study (1995-2010).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 42 dogs with scapular tumors, mostly osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer), underwent surgery called scapulectomy to remove the affected part of the shoulder blade. After the surgery, most dogs showed good to excellent use of their limbs, and those who received additional chemotherapy had better outcomes in terms of survival and time without disease. The study found that while scapular tumors can be serious, effective treatment options are available, and many dogs can recover well after surgery.
People also search for: dog scapular tumor treatment · osteosarcoma in dogs · dog shoulder surgery recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report signalment, clinical signs, preoperative staging tests, histologic diagnosis, surgical, and oncologic outcomes including postoperative limb use, in dogs with scapular tumors treated by scapulectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 42) with scapular tumors. METHODS: Medical records (1995-2010) from 6 hospitals were searched for dogs with scapular tumors treated by scapulectomy. Data retrieved were: signalment, weight, percentage of scapula removed, histologic diagnosis, postoperative limb use, adjunctive therapy, disease free interval (DFI), and survival time (ST). Individual variables were modeled with a Cox proportional hazard model accounting for censoring to determine risk factors for decreased DFI and ST. For categorical variables, Kaplan-Meier survival plots as well as mean and median survival times (MSTs) were calculated. RESULTS: Subtotal scapulectomy was performed in 18 dogs (42.9%). Osteosarcoma (OSA) was diagnosed in 27 dogs (64.3%). Limb use was evaluated immediately after surgery in 41 dogs. Information on limb use at other times (1, 2, 3, and >3 months) postoperatively was also available for some dogs and was good to excellent overall. Only adjunctive chemotherapy had a positive significant effect on DFI (P = .00011) and ST (P = .0003). CONCLUSION: Canine scapular tumors can be treated effectively by scapulectomy and limb use is fair to excellent for most dogs. OSA was the most common scapular tumor. Overall prognosis for scapular OSA is similar to appendicular OSA at other sites and use of adjunctive chemotherapy prolonged the overall DFI and MST.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24433298/