Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurologic improvement and tumor shrinkage after radiotherapy in dogs
By Ruessli, Nina et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Clinic for Radiation Oncology & Medical Oncology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Neurologic improvement and tumor shrinkage after radiotherapy in dogs with imaging-based intracranial neoplasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 106 dogs with brain tumors underwent radiotherapy, which helped shrink their tumors and improve their neurologic function. Many of these dogs showed significant improvement in their ability to function, with 76% experiencing no or only mild neurologic deficits after treatment. The tumors shrank considerably, with some types reducing in size by as much as 83% within six months. This study highlights that while tumor size decreased, the improvement in neurologic function can vary, so it's important for vets to assess both aspects after treatment.
People also search for: dog brain tumor treatment · radiotherapy for dogs · dog neurologic improvement after cancer treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Traditional measures of treatment success for radiotherapy in dogs with intracranial neoplasia include progression-free and overall survival time. Although important, these measures do not reflect neurologic function. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Assess tumor shrinkage by follow-up imaging and outcome using 2 neurodisability scoring systems-1 validated and 1 simplified. ANIMALS: One hundred six dogs with imaging-diagnosed intracranial tumors treated with 10-fraction definitive-intent radiotherapy. METHODS: Data were collected from 2 randomized trials. Neurologic function was prospectively assessed using a validated score, and a retrospective simplified score was added. Imaging was recommended every 6 months or upon clinical decline. RESULTS: Diagnoses included extraparenchymal tumors (45.3%), intraparenchymal tumors (35.8%), and pituitary tumors (18.9%). Median follow-up was 581 days. The neurodisability score improved significantly before radiotherapy (median 1.0, P = .04) because of medical management, and again during treatment (median 0.0, P < .01). At peak response, 76% of dogs had no or only mild neurologic deficits. Tumor volume significantly decreased at 6 and 12 months (P < .01): median shrinkage at 6 months was -39% (extraparenchymal tumors), -83% (intraparenchymal tumors), and -47% (pituitary tumors). A moderate correlation between tumor reduction and neurodisability score was seen only at 6 months (r = 0.395, P = .002). Results were consistent across protocols. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Radiotherapy led to lasting neurologic improvement and substantial tumor reduction. Neurologic function did not always correlate with tumor volume shrinkage, emphasizing the importance of incorporating and prioritizing neurologists' functional assessments in posttreatment evaluation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42043980/