Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to measure anal sac tumors in dogs accurately
By Schlag, A N et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2020·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of methods to determine primary tumour size in canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how to measure the size of anal sac tumors in dogs with apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that can spread. Researchers found that using CT scans, physical exams, and tissue samples gave similar results when measuring tumor size. They discovered that larger tumors (over 2.5 cm) were more likely to have spread to other parts of the body when the dog was first diagnosed. Understanding these measurements can help veterinarians predict the likelihood of metastasis and plan appropriate treatment for affected dogs.
People also search for: dog anal sac cancer symptoms · how to measure dog tumor size · anal sac adenocarcinoma treatment in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess agreement between measurement of primary apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma tumours using digital palpation, CT and formalin-fixed tissue and to look for associations with metastasis at presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of different methods of measuring primary tumour size in histopathologically-confirmed canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen tumours from 107 dogs were included. There was moderate agreement between maximal dimension of the primary tumour measured by CT compared to formalin-fixed tissue and digital palpation. There was no significant difference in median maximum dimension between the measurement methods. Vascular invasion, CT stage, digital rectal examination stage and formalin-fixed tissue stage were significantly associated with metastasis at presentation, while mitotic index of the primary tumour was not. Dogs with tumours >2.5 cm (tumour-stage 2) were significantly more likely to present with metastatic disease. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma, primary tumour size, tumour-stage and vascular invasion are strong predictors of metastasis at presentation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31960434/