Pain relief from cement treatment for bone tumors in dogs' front legs

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To (1) evaluate the analgesic effect of percutaneous cementoplasty (PC) in dogs with primary bone tumor (PBT) of the distal aspect of the radius and (2) evaluate the impact on the course of disease by adding PC to a palliative, multimodal treatment protocol in these dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective pilot study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=4) with PBT of the distal aspect of the radius. METHODS: Tumor lesions were filled percutaneously with polymethylmethacrylate under fluoroscopic guidance. Pamidronate was administered once in a week before PC. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were initiated 2 and 6 weeks after PC, respectively. Force plate analysis was performed immediately before 2, and 6 weeks after PC. Survival time was defined from PC to euthanasia. RESULTS: Two dogs had a significant increase in peak vertical force 2 weeks after PC (P=.043) and remained free of lameness for 18 and 20 weeks, respectively. One dog had an acute relapse after an initially lame-free period of 10 days. The remaining dog failed to improve (P=.686). Three dogs developed at least 2 complications including transient worsening of the lameness after PC, cement leakage, wound infection and suspected thromboembolism in combination with cough and anemia. Median survival was 4.8 months (range, 1-5.7 months). CONCLUSIONS: PC in combination with pamidronate significantly improved lameness in 2 dogs; however, PC is not risk-free. Deep wound infection, intraarticular cement leakage, and venous thrombosis were the main complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: PC might be a useful addition to established palliative, multimodal treatment protocols in dogs with PBT; however, because of the complications encountered PC warrants further study before routine use can be considered.