Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Outcomes for dogs with bone cancer treated by targeted radiation
By Martin, Tiffany Wormhoudt et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2021·Department of Environment and Radiological Health Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Outcome and prognosis for canine appendicular osteosarcoma treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy in 123 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 123 dogs with bone cancer in their limbs (appendicular osteosarcoma) were treated with a specialized radiation therapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) instead of limb amputation. Most dogs showed improvement in their limping within about three weeks, lasting for around six months. However, some dogs experienced fractures or needed an amputation later on. The average survival time after treatment was about 233 days, but those who had an amputation afterward lived longer. While SBRT helped many dogs feel better, more research is needed to find out which dogs are least likely to suffer fractures from the treatment.
People also search for: dog bone cancer treatment · osteosarcoma in dogs · stereotactic radiation therapy for dogs · dog limping after radiation · dog amputation recovery time
Abstract
Canine appendicular osteosarcoma is commonly treated with limb amputation; however, limb-sparing options are frequently desired or necessary for a subset of patients. We evaluated 123 patients and 130 sites treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Eighty-two out of 98 dogs (84%) had maximum lameness improvement at a median of 3 weeks for a median of 6 months duration. Histopathologic evaluation of available samples from amputation or necropsy revealed >80% tumor necrosis in 50% of limbs consistent with local disease control. Of evaluable patients, 41% fractured and 21% pursued an amputation after treatment. Fine needle aspirate (n = 52) and needle core biopsy (n = 28) did not result in increased fracture risk compared to those without tumor sampling (n = 50). Median survival time (MST) was 233 days and time to first event was 143 days. Gross tumor volume and planned target volume were significantly inversely associated with survival and tumor location was significantly associated with survival. Dogs with salvage amputation had a significantly longer MST compared to those without (346 vs 202 days; P = .04). The presence of metastatic disease at the time of treatment in 15 dogs did not significantly impact survival time (200 vs 237 days without metastasis; P = .58). Skin side effects correlated significantly with dose with 33% of patients with acute grade 3 effects developing consequential late grade 3 effects. While SBRT improves lameness in most patients, further investigation is needed to identify candidates with minimal early fracture risk prior to initiating therapy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33403752/