Canine cutaneous and subcutaneous soft tissue sarcomas (STS) account for 20.3% of malignant neoplasms of the skin. This article makes recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up in dogs with STS, using evidence-based medicine concepts. Although our review of the literature on the management of canine STS found many of the studies to be less than rigorous, board-certified specialists in internal medicine, surgery, pathology, oncology, and radiation oncology were able to make several recommendations based on the literature review: cytology and biopsy are important for presurgical planning; wide (>3 cm margins) surgical excision decreases the likelihood of tumor recurrence; the use of a histologic grading scale is useful in predicting biologic behavior; and, in select cases, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be beneficial adjunct treatments to surgical excision. More research is necessary to determine minimum size of surgical margins, the impact of radiation therapy on incompletely resected tumors, the ideal chemotherapy protocol for high grade STS, and the optimal methods of monitoring dogs for tumor recurrence and metastasis.
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March/April 2016
REVIEW ARTICLES|
March 01 2016
Canine Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Soft Tissue Sarcoma: An Evidence-Based Review of Case Management
Ann E. Hohenhaus, DVM, DACVIM;
Ann E. Hohenhaus, DVM, DACVIM
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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Jamie Haddad, VMD, ACVP;
Jamie Haddad, VMD, ACVP
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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Lisa Barber, DVM, DACVIM;
Lisa Barber, DVM, DACVIM
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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Matthew Palmisano, DVM, DACVS;
Matthew Palmisano, DVM, DACVS
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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John Farrelly, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVP;
John Farrelly, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVP
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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Anita Soucy, DVM
Anita Soucy, DVM
From the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY (A.E.H.); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (J.L.K.); IDEXX Laboratories, New York, NY (J.H.); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA (L.B.); VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT (M.P.); the Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, CT (J.F.); and Guilford Veterinary Hospital, Guilford, CT (A.S.).
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J Am Anim Hosp Assoc (2016) 52 (2): 77–89.
Citation
Ann E. Hohenhaus, Jennifer L. Kelsey, Jamie Haddad, Lisa Barber, Matthew Palmisano, John Farrelly, Anita Soucy; Canine Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Soft Tissue Sarcoma: An Evidence-Based Review of Case Management. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1 March 2016; 52 (2): 77–89. doi: https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-6305
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