Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Accuracy of needle biopsy for diagnosing dog mammary tumors
By Simon, Daniela et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2009·Small Animal Hospital, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cytologic examination of fine-needle aspirates from mammary gland tumors in the dog: diagnostic accuracy with comparison to histopathology and association with postoperative outcome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female dog with a mammary tumor underwent a fine-needle aspirate to check if the tumor was benign or malignant. The cytology results were accurate in identifying the type of tumor in most cases, showing a high sensitivity and specificity for malignancy. This test not only helped in diagnosing the tumor but also provided valuable information about the dog's potential recovery and survival after surgery. The findings suggest that cytologic examination can be a useful tool for veterinarians when dealing with mammary tumors in dogs.
People also search for: dog mammary tumor diagnosis · fine-needle aspirate results · dog surgery recovery mammary tumor
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mammary tumors are the most common neoplasms in female dogs. Malignant tumors may carry a poor prognosis and necessitate surgery. Few data are available on the value of cytologic examination as a diagnostic or prognostic tool for mammary tumors in dogs. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine whether cytologic findings in fine-needle aspirate specimens of canine mammary tumors correlate with histopathologic results and whether the cytologic diagnosis is associated with postoperative outcome. METHODS: In this prospective study, fine-needle aspirate samples were obtained from 50 mammary tumors in 50 dogs. Results of cytologic and histopathologic examination were compared, using the histologic diagnosis as the reference method. Kaplan-Meier log rank analysis was used to evaluate univariate association of the cytologic diagnosis with duration of survival, local control, and metastasis-free interval. RESULTS: Adequate cytologic samples were obtained in 43/50 (86%) cases. The cytologic diagnosis correlated with the histologic diagnosis for benign and malignant tumors in 40/43 (93%) and 35/43 (81%) cases, respectively. Cytologic examination had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 96% for the diagnosis of malignancy. The cytologic diagnosis had significant univariate association with duration of survival (P=.016), recurrence-free interval (P=.003), and metastasis-free interval (P=.014). CONCLUSIONS: Cytologic examination of mammary tumors in the dog has satisfactory accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for the diagnosis of malignancy and is associated with postoperative outcome. Further studies on the diagnostic accuracy of cytology as well as multivariate analysis of its preoperative prognostic value in mammary tumors in the dog are warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19392751/