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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Stereotactic radiosurgery for limb bone cancer in dogs

By Farese, James P et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2004·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment of osteosarcomas involving the distal portions of the limbs in dogs.

Species:
dog
OsteosarcomaMovement & jointsDogs

Plain-English summary

An 8-year-old Golden Retriever was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, affecting the leg. The dog underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a treatment that delivers a precise dose of radiation to target the tumor, sometimes combined with chemotherapy. After treatment, the dog's limb function improved significantly, and six of the eleven dogs in the study lived for over a year, with some surviving up to 763 days. This suggests that SRS can be an effective option for dogs with early-stage osteosarcoma, helping to control the tumor and maintain limb function.

People also search for: dog osteosarcoma treatment · stereotactic radiosurgery for dogs · Golden Retriever bone cancer survival rate

Abstract

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) involves precise delivery of a single large dose of radiation to a designated tumor target. This report describes use of SRS in combination with a frameless stereotactic localization system to treat 11 dogs with appendicular osteosarcomas. Five dogs were treated with SRS alone; 6 were treated with a combination of SRS and chemotherapy. Overall median survival time was 363 days (range, 145 to 763 days), with 6 dogs still alive 90, 142, 234, 367, 633, and 763 days after SRS. Limb function was good or excellent in all 6 dogs that were still alive. Results in these dogs suggest that SRS may be a viable option for dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma, with the potential to provide long-term local tumor control and improvement in limb function, especially when combined with chemotherapy. Because of the destructive nature of osteosarcoma and limitations of SRS, dogs with tumors that are small and have caused minimal bone destruction would likely be the best candidates for this procedure.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15568390/