Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scan features predict bone fractures in dogs with limb
By Martin, Tiffany Wormhoudt et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2022·Department of Environmental Health and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: CT characteristics and proposed scoring scheme are predictive of pathologic fracture in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) underwent stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat their condition. Researchers developed a scoring system based on CT scans to predict the risk of pathologic fractures, which are breaks in the bone that can occur due to the cancer. They found that dogs with higher scores were more likely to experience fractures, and those with 40% or more of their bone affected had a shorter survival time. This information can help veterinarians assess prognosis and tailor treatment plans for dogs with this serious condition.
People also search for: dog osteosarcoma treatment · dog bone cancer prognosis · stereotactic radiation therapy for dogs
Abstract
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an established limb-sparing treatment for dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA) and pathologic fractures are a common sequela. The objectives of this retrospective, observational, and descriptive study were to develop and evaluate objective CT criteria for predicting pathologic fractures and assess impacts on survival time. Included dogs had confirmed or suspected appendicular OSA, available CT scans, available outcome data, and were treated with SBRT. For each study, the number of quartiles affected by lysis on the most severely affected transverse slice, longest measurable length of contiguous full cortical lysis, presence of subchondral bone lysis, and ratio of the length of the affected bone to normal bone were recorded. A scoring system was developed for assigning grades (summed score 1-4 = grade 1, 5-7 = grade 2, and 8 or greater = grade 3.) A total of 127 CT datasets were sampled (123 patients). The median summed score was 7. The grade was correlated with pathologic fracture development (23% of grade 1, 35% of grade 2, and 57% of grade 3 resulting in fracture, P = 0.028). Subchondral bone lysis was correlated with fracture (odds ratio, 2.2, P = 0.02). Percent affected bone ≥40% was associated with decreased survival (P = 0.002). Dogs with <40% of affected bone had a median survival of 256 days versus 178 days for dogs with ≥40% affected bone. Findings from the current study can be used to assist in determining prognosis and planning radiation therapy for future dogs affected by appendicular OSA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34672060/