Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scan signs of lymph node spread in dogs with oral melanoma
By Menghini, Timothy L et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2023·Hospital for Small Animals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Contrast-enhanced CT predictors of lymph nodal metastasis in dogs with oral melanoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with oral melanoma, a type of aggressive mouth cancer, underwent CT scans to check for lymph node metastasis (spread to lymph nodes). The study found that changes in the size of the mandibular lymph nodes could help predict whether the cancer had spread. In fact, larger lymph nodes were more likely to indicate metastasis, with 54.5% of the dogs showing this condition. While the CT scans showed promise in identifying affected lymph nodes, more research is needed to improve the accuracy of these predictions.
People also search for: dog oral melanoma treatment · lymph node cancer in dogs · CT scan for dog cancer
Abstract
Canine oral melanoma (OM) has highly aggressive behavior, with frequent local metastasis. Computed tomography 3D volumetric analysis is an accurate predictor of lymph node (LN) metastasis of oral cancers in humans but whether this is true for dogs with OM is unknown. In this retrospective observational study, CT imaging was used to assess mandibular and retropharyngeal lymphocenter (LC) changes in dogs with nodal metastatic (n = 12) and non-metastatic (n = 10) OM, then these findings were compared with those of healthy control dogs (n = 11). Using commercial software (Analyze, Biomedical Imaging Resource), lymphocenters were defined as regions of interest. LC voxels, area (mm), volume (mm), and degree of attenuation (HU) were compared between groups. Mandibular lymphocenter (MLC) metastasis was present in 12 of 22 (54.5%) dogs; no dogs had confirmed retropharyngeal lymphocenter (RLC) metastasis. Mandibular lymphocenter volume was significantly different between positive and negative LCs (median 2221 and 1048 mm, respectively, P = 0.008), and between positive and control LCs (median 880 mm, P < 0.01). There was no evidence of a significant difference in voxel number or attenuation between groups. Mandibular lymphocenter volume moderately discriminated for metastatic status (AUC 0.754 [95% CI = 0.572-0.894, P = 0.02]), with a positive predictive value of 57.1% (95% CI = 0.389-0.754). Adjusting for patient weight did not improve discrimination (AUC = 0.659 (95% CI = 0.439-0.879, P = 0.13]). In conclusion, these findings suggest 3D CT volume measurement of MLC can predict nodal metastasis in dogs with OM and shows promise but further research, perhaps in combination with other modalities, is required to improve accuracy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37296081/