Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Splenic tumors in dogs by body weight and type from 2003-2013
By Sherwood, J Matthew et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2016·From the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Occurrence and Clinicopathologic Features of Splenic Neoplasia Based on Body Weight: 325 Dogs (2003-2013).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 396 dogs with splenic masses underwent surgery to remove the spleen, and 325 of these dogs were included in the study. About 58% of the dogs had cancer, with hemangiosarcoma (a type of cancer) being the most common diagnosis, especially in larger dogs. Smaller dogs were less likely to have this specific cancer. Dogs with hemangiosarcoma often showed symptoms like low red blood cell counts, bleeding in the abdomen, and sometimes needed blood transfusions. The findings suggest that while both small and large dogs can develop malignant splenic masses, larger dogs are more prone to hemangiosarcoma.
People also search for: dog splenic mass treatment · hemangiosarcoma symptoms in dogs · dog spleen surgery recovery
Abstract
Medical records of 396 dogs undergoing splenectomy for treatment of a splenic mass or nodular disease were reviewed retrospectively. Overall distribution of histopathologic diagnosis and clinicopathologic features were evaluated for 325 dogs that met inclusion criteria. Dogs were dichotomized into two groups based on weight, with the statistically derived cutoff identified as 27.8 kg. Malignancy was diagnosed in 58% of dogs, with no difference between small (55%) and large (61%) dogs (P = .291). Overall, 32% of splenic masses were hemangiosarcoma (HSA), which comprised 25 and 39% of all masses in small and large dogs, respectively. The diagnosis of HSA, non-HSA malignancy, or benign splenic disease was significantly different between the groups (P = .019). Of malignant diagnoses, HSA comprised 46 and 65% of small and large dog splenic neoplasms, respectively (P = .009). In both groups, dogs with HSA were significantly more likely to have preoperative anemia, hemoabdomen, thrombocytopenia, and a blood transfusion, as compared to dogs with non-HSA malignancy or benign lesions. Overall, dogs had similar odds of having a malignant splenic lesion regardless of weight, but dogs ≤27.8 kg were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with HSA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27259024/