Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with vertebral fibrosarcoma treated by vertebrectomy and vaccine
By Chauvet, A E et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·1999·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vertebrectomy, bone allograft fusion, and antitumor vaccination for the treatment of vertebral fibrosarcoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in with worsening paralysis in her back legs due to a tumor on her spine. After imaging showed a lytic lesion causing spinal cord compression, the vet performed surgery to remove the affected vertebra and used a bone graft to stabilize the area. The dog also received a special vaccine made from her tumor cells to help fight the cancer. Two years later, she was able to walk again, although she still had some issues with controlling her bladder and bowels.
People also search for: dog back leg paralysis treatment · fibrosarcoma in dogs · dog spinal surgery recovery · canine cancer vaccine effectiveness
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the surgical technique of vertebrectomy with bone allograft fusion and the use of antitumor vaccine for the treatment of a primary vertebral neoplasm in a dog. STUDY DESIGN: Case Report. ANIMALS OR SAMPLE POPULATION: A 3 year old 32 kg female spayed mixed breed dog with progressive paraplegia. METHODS: Myelography was performed to identify an L5 lytic lesion with spinal cord compression. A dorsal laminectomy was performed to decompress the spinal cord and obtain biopsies. Pathologic fracture of the vertebral body two days later was treated with L5 vertebrectomy, cortical allograft implantation, and bilateral plating from L4 to L6. Tumor samples were used to create an autologous cytokine-gene-engineered tumor cell vaccine. Recheck radiographs and neurologic examinations were obtained 1, 2, 7, and 13 months after surgery. RESULTS: The histopathologic diagnosis was fibrosarcoma. Although slight osteopenia of the allograft was noted thirteen months after surgery, the allograft and plate fixation remained stable. The patient tolerated the antitumor vaccination protocol well. Two years after the procedures the dog was able to ambulate normally but remained urinary and fecal incontinent. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Vertebrectomy and cortical allograft implantation with plating permitted this patient to return to a functional lifestyle with its owners.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10582746/