Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiation therapy outcomes for heart-base tumors in six dogs
By Magestro, L M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2018·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Stereotactic body radiation therapy for heart-base tumors in six dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six dogs with heart-base tumors, likely chemodectomas, underwent a specialized radiation treatment called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This treatment aimed to shrink the tumors, and it was successful in reducing tumor size by 30-76% in four of the dogs. While three of the dogs lived for over a year after treatment, two dogs sadly passed away suddenly months later, possibly due to complications related to the treatment or the tumors. Overall, SBRT showed promise for treating these tumors, but it may not be suitable for all dogs, especially those with slow-growing tumors that aren't causing immediate health issues.
People also search for: dog heart tumor treatment · chemodectoma in dogs · SBRT for dog tumors · dog sudden death after radiation · heart-base tumor symptoms in dogs
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Heart-base tumors are increasingly treated with radiotherapy, yet safety and efficacy are incompletely understood. This case series describes outcomes after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for presumed chemodectoma. ANIMALS: Six pet dogs. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed, including dogs with a clinical diagnosis of chemodectoma and treatment with three-fraction SBRT (30 Gy total). RESULTS: Heart-base tumors, presumed or confirmed to be chemodectomas, were diagnosed via histopathology or imaging. Treatment was delivered with intensity modulation and cone-beam computed tomography-based image guidance, using a linear accelerator and robotic couchtop. Intrafraction respiratory motion was managed with either neuromuscular blockade and breath-holding (n = 3) or high-frequency jet ventilation (n = 3); mean total anesthesia times for each technique were 165 and 91 min per fraction, respectively. Four tumors were assessed after SBRT; tumor volume decreased by 30-76%. Possible treatment-related complications included cough, tachyarrhythmias, and congestive heart failure. Two dogs experienced sudden death 150 and 294 days after SBRT. Three dogs are alive 408-751 days after SBRT, and one dog died of unrelated disease 1,228 days after SBRT. CONCLUSIONS: This SBRT protocol resulted in rapid tumor volume reduction, and jet ventilation effectively reduced treatment delivery times. However, cardiac arrhythmias (presumably tumor or treatment associated) and sudden death were common after SBRT. Therefore, SBRT is a potentially useful treatment but may not be appropriate for dogs with incidentally diagnosed, slowly growing tumors, which are not causing cardiovascular disturbances. Longer follow-up and larger case numbers are needed to more completely define safety and impact of treatment on long-term survivability.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29724584/