Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spinal tumors in 37 dogs - treatment and survival outcomes
By Levy, M S et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1997·Department of Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Spinal tumors in 37 dogs: clinical outcome and long-term survival (1987-1994).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 37 dogs with spinal tumors underwent surgery to remove the tumors and were monitored for their recovery. Most of these tumors were located in the neck area, and surgeries included hemilaminectomy or dorsal laminectomy. Unfortunately, 32% of the dogs were euthanized during or shortly after surgery due to severe symptoms. For those that survived, the average time they lived after surgery was about 240 days, with some types of tumors leading to shorter survival times. Overall, the study highlighted the challenges of treating spinal tumors in dogs, with no clear indicators for better outcomes.
People also search for: dog spinal tumor treatment · dog neck surgery recovery · dog survival after spinal surgery
Abstract
The current management of dogs with spinal canal neoplasia in a large veterinary institution was evaluated. Postoperative survival time and prognostic indicators for survival were examined. Spinal neoplasms in dogs and humans also were compared. Thirty-seven cases with histologically confirmed spinal tumors were included in the study. The cervical region was affected most commonly, and 23 (62%) of 37 cases had extradural tumors. A hemilaminectomy or a dorsal laminectomy was performed in each case; three cases received adjuvant treatment. Twelve (32%) cases were euthanized at the time of surgery, and two died immediately after surgery. One dog was euthanized 20 days after surgery because of persistent clinical signs. Twenty-two cases were followed postoperatively; nine different types of primary tumors were confirmed by histological examination of tissue specimens from these 22 cases, and three cases had metastatic lesions. The median survival time of these 22 cases was 240 days. Twelve (32%) of the 37 cases had nerve-sheath tumors; the median survival time for these 12 cases was 180 days. No prognostic indicators were identified. However, median survival times of cases with benign versus malignant tumor types were 1,410 days and 180 days, respectively (p of 0.07). Four cases each had a myxoma/myxosarcoma, a tumor previously unreported in the spinal canal in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9204465/