Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Detecting lung spread in female dogs with mammary tumors using X-rays
By Otoni, Carolina C et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2010·o Paulo State University, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survey radiography and computerized tomography imaging of the thorax in female dogs with mammary tumors.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 21 female dogs aged 5 to nearly 15 years, all diagnosed with mammary tumors, underwent imaging tests to check for lung metastases (spread of cancer to the lungs). While standard chest X-rays did not show any signs of lung metastases, a more advanced CT scan detected lung metastasis in two dogs. The study suggests that CT scans are more effective than X-rays for identifying lung metastases in dogs with malignant mammary tumors. All the tumors were surgically removed and examined, confirming the diagnosis.
People also search for: dog mammary tumor treatment · lung metastasis in dogs · CT scan for dog cancer · mammary tumor surgery in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Accurate early diagnosis of lung metastases is important for establishing therapeutic measures. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare survey thoracic radiographs and computerized tomography (CT) scans to specifically identify lung metastases in female dogs with mammary tumors. METHODS: Twenty-one female dogs, weighing 3 to 34 kg and aged from 5 years to 14 years and 10 months, with mammary tumors were studied. In all dogs before the imaging examinations, fine-needle aspiration cytology of the mammary tumors was performed to confirm the diagnosis. Three-view thoracic radiographs were accomplished: right lateral, left lateral and ventrodorsal views. Sequential transverse images of the thorax were acquired on a spiral Scanner, before and after intravenous bolus injection of nonionic iodine contrast. Soft-tissue and lung windows were applied. All the mammary tumors were surgically removed and examined histologically. RESULTS: The correlation between the cytological and histological results regarding presence of malignancy was observed in only 17 cases. In radiographic examinations, no dog displayed signs of lung metastases or thorax chest lesions. CT detected lung metastasis in two cases, while small areas of lung atelectasis located peripherally were found in 28.57% of the dogs. CONCLUSION: In this study population, spiral CT showed higher sensitivity than chest radiographies to detect lung metastasis; this indicates that CT should be performed on all female dogs with malignant mammary tumors.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20214816/