Publication date
Nicholas J. Bacon, William S. Dernell, Nicole P. Ehrhart, Barbara E. Powers, Stephen J. Withrow
Evaluation of primary re-excision after recent inadequate resection of soft tissue sarcomas in dogs: 41 cases (1999–2004)
Objective
Determine efficacy of primary re-excision alone for treatment of soft tissue sarcomas after recent incomplete resection, the frequency & clinical importance of detect residual tumor in resected scars, and prognostic factors assoc with the procedure
Methods
Medical records of dogs that had undergone recent incomplete excision of a soft tissue sarcoma at a referring veterinary practice and subsequent re-excision of the scar at the Colorado State University Veterinary Medical Center were reviewed.Owners and referring veterinarians were contacted for follow-up information.Slides from re-excised specimens were reviewed.Dogs that underwent radiation therapy after the re-excision procedure were excluded.
Results
41 dogs met the inclusion criteria, and long-term follow-up information was available for 39 dogs.Median follow-up time was 816 days.Local recurrence of tumor developed in 6 of 39 (15%) dogs, and distant metastasis occurred in 4 of 39 (10%) dogs.Healthy tis sue margins of 0.5 to 3.5 cm were achieved at re-excision. Residual tumor was identified in 9 of 41 (22%) resected scars.No tumor-, patient-, or treatment-related variables were associated with local recurrence except for the presence of liposarcoma or fibrosarcoma or whether fine-needle aspiration had been performed prior to surgery.