Signs and radiation treatment of frontal sinus cancer in dogs

Abstract

Primary frontal sinus squamous cell carcinoma (PFSSCC) represents a rare disease in dogs, and there is a general paucity of information in the current veterinary literature regarding its presentation and response to radiation therapy. The objective of this retrospective observational study was to describe a series of dogs diagnosed with PFSSCC and report their response to radiation therapy. Medical records of dogs with a diagnosis of PFSSCC were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, presenting complaint, clinicopathologic and diagnostic imaging findings, treatment, therapeutic response, and date of death or last follow-up. Eight cases of PFSSCC in dogs were treated with radiation therapy at the authors' institution. Three of these dogs were treated with coarse-fractionated radiation therapy. One dog was euthanized due to an unrelated cause 36 months after completing the radiation therapy. The second and third dogs survived 18 and 3 months, respectively, from the end of treatment to death due to PFSCC. Five further dogs were treated with a more fractionated protocol (Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule). The median survival time for all patients was 7.5 months (range 2-36 months). Despite the small number of cases and variation in the radiation protocols used, the treatment outcomes in these eight dogs suggest that radiation therapy is potentially a viable treatment option for dogs with PFSSCC and that coarse fractionation might be an appropriate approach if more finely fractionated protocols are not possible.