Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiation therapy as treatment for sialocele in dogs
By Poirier, V J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Institute of Veterinary·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Sialocele in Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with a sialocele, which is a buildup of saliva due to a damaged salivary gland. After surgery didn't fully resolve the issue, the dog was treated with radiation therapy. Out of the 11 dogs treated, 6 had complete resolution of their symptoms, while 5 showed partial improvement. Some dogs experienced a return of the sialocele months later, but additional radiation helped them achieve remission for over two years. This suggests that radiation therapy can be an effective option for dogs with sialocele that don't respond to surgery.
People also search for: dog sialocele treatment · radiation therapy for dogs · dog saliva buildup treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sialocele is a collection of saliva that has leaked from a damaged salivary gland or duct and is surrounded by granulation tissue. Surgery is the recognized first-line treatment. Recurrence rate after surgery is 5-14%. Salivary gland tissue is very sensitive to radiation therapy (RT). HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Radiation therapy will be useful for the treatment of sialocele. The aims were to characterize response rate and clinical course of dogs with sialocele treated with RT and to determine a starting dose for clinical use. ANIMALS: Eleven dogs with sialocele. METHODS: Retrospective study of response and outcome after RT. RESULTS: All dogs had cervical sialocele. Seven dogs (63.6%) were treated with 3 weekly fractions of 4 Gray (Gy); (total dose, 12 Gy). Three dogs (27.3%) received 4 fractions of 4 Gy (16 Gy) and 1 dog received 5 fractions of 4 Gy (20 Gy) on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. Six dogs (54%) achieved a complete response (CR), and 5 dogs (45%) achieved a partial response (PR). Three dogs had progression of their sialocele 2, 3, and 9 months after RT; all three had received 12 Gy initially and 2 received 2 additional fractions of 4 Gy (cumulative total dose, 20 Gy) and subsequently achieved remission for >2 years. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Radiation therapy is useful for the treatment of recurrent sialocele refractory to surgical management and a minimum total dose of 16 or 20 Gy in 4 Gy fractions appears effective.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29131404/