Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How CT scans help find cancer in dog colorectal tumors
By Bourgeois, Alexandria D et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2025·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography for Identification of Potential Malignancy in Canine Colorectal Mesenchymal Tumours.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with a colorectal tumor, and veterinarians used a special type of imaging called contrast-enhanced CT to determine if it was benign or malignant (cancerous). The imaging showed that most tumors were benign, but there were also some malignant tumors identified. However, the results from the CT scans were not very reliable, as they did not consistently match the actual tumor types found during surgery. Ultimately, the imaging did not help in accurately predicting whether the tumors were cancerous, and further tests were needed for a definitive diagnosis.
People also search for: dog colorectal tumor diagnosis · canine cancer imaging · contrast-enhanced CT for dogs
Abstract
Cross-sectional imaging may be used to characterise the location and extent of colorectal mesenchymal tumours (CRMTs). Given the anticipated variation in tumour behaviour and varying morbidity based on surgical margins, a reliable, non-invasive means of predicting malignant potential could facilitate case management. The purpose of this multi-institutional, retrospective study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced CT for distinguishing benign and malignant CRMTs. Twenty-seven dogs with CRMTs were included. Initial diagnoses were reviewed, and slides or blocks were available for 24/27 dogs for further histologic review and immunohistochemical labelling for smooth muscle actin, KIT and vimentin. Two masked radiologists reviewed DICOM images for tumour characteristics, including a final, binary, consensus, subjective interpretation of malignancy. Eighteen tumours (66.7%) were classified as leiomyoma, one (3.7%) as a benign other non-lymphogenic intestinal mesenchymal tumour (benign), one (3.7%) as leiomyosarcoma, and seven (25.9%) as gastrointestinal stromal tumour (malignant). Agreement between radiologists ranged from none to weak for categorical variables, with no agreement (κ = 0.135) for the final assessment of a tumour as benign or malignant. Substantial overlap was noted between groups, with no single categorical variable demonstrating high accuracy as a predictor of malignancy. Consensus final assessment was a sensitive (80.0%) but not specific (29.4%) predictor of malignancy (accuracy: 48.2%). No association was identified between CT determination of malignancy and histologic determination of malignancy (p = 0.678). Non-standardised contrast-enhanced CT was ineffective at distinguishing malignant from benign CRMTs in this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40056897/