Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Morbidity after lymph node surgery in dogs with head and neck cancer
By Chiti, Lavinia Elena et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2026·Clinic for Small Animals Surgery-Vetsuisse Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of Morbidity Between Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Elective Neck Dissection in Dogs With Head and Neck Malignancies.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with head and neck tumors underwent either elective neck dissection (END) or sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) to assess their condition. The study found that while both procedures were generally safe, dogs that had END experienced a significantly higher rate of post-surgical complications, such as fluid buildup (seroma), compared to those that had SLNB. Specifically, 85.7% of dogs that had END faced complications, while only 25% of those with SLNB did. This suggests that SLNB may be a safer option for staging these types of cancers in dogs.
People also search for: dog neck tumor treatment · sentinel lymph node biopsy for dogs · elective neck dissection complications in dogs
Abstract
Elective neck dissection (END) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are suggested for nodal staging of canine head and neck malignancies (HNM). This study aims to compare the morbidity of END to SLNB. Seventy-six client-owned dogs with HNM that underwent END (n = 28) or SLNB (n = 48) in two institutions were retrospectively enrolled. Retrieved variables included data on signalment, lymph centre and lymph nodes, intra- and post-surgical complications (PSC) of lymphadenectomy, and histopathology results. The cumulative incidence of PSC at 30 days was estimated for END and SLNB and compared with Gray's test. The influence of variables on the incidence of complications was evaluated using univariate and multivariate models. No intraoperative complication occurred. The PSC were mostly mild. Seroma was the most frequent. The cumulative incidence of PSC of lymphadenectomy at 30 days was 47.4%, and they were severe in 14% of cases. The incidence of PSC was 25% for SLNB and 85.7% for END, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Clinically enlarged nodes (p = 0.03), institution (p = 0.03), increasing number of resected nodes (p < 0.001) and of lymph centres (p < 0.001) predicted a higher incidence of PSC in the univariate model. In the multivariate analysis, only the type of node management (END vs. SLNB) remained significant. Although lymphadenectomy is a well-tolerated procedure in dogs with HNM, END was correlated with a higher risk of PSC compared to SLNB. Stratification of dogs by the risk of multiple nodal metastases is warranted to identify those who may still benefit from END despite a higher PSC risk.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41703787/