Cutaneous Hemangiosarcoma in 25 Dogs: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Hemangiosarcomas confined to the skin and underlying muscle were surgically excised in 2 5 dogs. Tumors were staged based on their histological location (ie, dermal, hypodermal, and deep). Dermal (stage I) hemangiosarcomas were small, most commonly ventral-abdominal or prepucia1 in location, and were associated with prolonged survival times (median survival, 780 days). Tumors with hypodermal (stage II) and underlying muscular involvement (stage 111) were grouped together because of their larger size, bruise-like appearance, lack of anatomic predilection, emangiosarcoma (HSA, malignant hemangioendo-H thelioma, angiosarcoma) is a neoplasm arising from endothelial cells.' It occurs more frequently in the dog than in any other species, with a reported prevalence of 0.3% to 2.0%.2-6 The spleen is the most frequent primary site of involvement; however, primary dermal and hypodermal HSAs are also common, accounting for 14% of these tumors in There are few reports specifically describing the biological behavior of HSAs originating from cutaneous (ie, dermal or hypodermal) tissues in dogs."-" Most cutaneous forms are included in the literature as part ofa large series ofdogs with HSAs, regardless of the tissue of rigi in.^,','^-^^ Frequently, it is difficult to distinguish cutaneous HSA from HSA of other origins (eg, splenic, right atrial) in these reports. The presence of 1 or more cutaneous HSAs may represent metastatic disease rather than a primary lesion, and therefore has frequently been associated with a poor prognosis." Cutaneous HSAs are rare in humans, in whom they have been described as highly invasive neoplasms with a high rate of local recurrence.23 They occur almost exclusively in I of 3 separate clinical presentations: ( 1) previously irradiated skin; ( 2 ) the face and scalp of elderly patients; and (3) the chronic lymphedematous extremity, often in postmastectomy patients.24 The long-term prognosis for these patients is extremely poor, with a reported median survival time of only 20 months after radical surgxal excision and adjuvant radiotherapy.25 The only two prognostic factors identified in humans with cutaneous HSA include the size of the lesion at the time of diagnosis and the degree of lymphocytic infiltration around the t~m o r .~~,~~ Tumors less than 5 cm in diameter and those with lymphocytic infiltrates are associated with longer survival times.",26Vascular stasis, radiation therapy, trauma, and sun exposure have been suggested as predisposing factors for the development of cutaneous HSAs in humans.26 Solar radiation has been proposed to play a causal role in spontaneously occumng dermal HSAs in dogs.'' In addition, HSAs have been experimentally induced with UV radiation in dogs2'The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and survival times in dogs with primary cutaneous HSAs treated by surgical excision. Materials and MethodsRecords of the University of Florida and The Ohio State University veterinary pathology services were reviewed to identify all pribiological beha...

Histopathological features of cutaneous tumours arising from the vascular endothelial cells in dogs

“…Tumours occurring most commonly on the ventral abdomen and pelvic limbs were in agreement with a report of 13 Beagles, in which the skin of the lower abdomen and preputial area seemed to be most commonly affected (Culbertson, 1982). In the present study all the three cases were noticed in sparsely haired areas near the abdomen and on legs, for which the possible aetiology might be solar radiation as per the previous reports (Hargis et al, 1992;Ward et al, 1994).…”

“…In the visceral form, the most frequently affected organs were spleen and liver (Day et al, 1995;Withrow & MacEwen, 2001;Hristov et al, 2007) and rarely seen in the retroperitoneal organs like adrenal glands, kidneys and ureters (Wang & Su, 2001;Liptak et al, 2004) and uterus (Murakami et al, 2001). Whereas in dermal form, most common predilection sites are ventral abdomen, prepuce and pelvic limbs (Ward et al, 1994). In the breeds like Beagle, blood hound, English Pointer and Dalmatian, dermal form is commonly seen.…”

Evaluation of Mast Cells in Dermal versus Subcutaneous Hemangiomas and Hemangiosarcomas in Dogs

“…Dermal HSA are reported to have a better prognosis than subcutaneous HSA because excision is more likely to be complete [2,15]. The reported survival time for subcutaneous HSA varies from 172 to 1189 days depending on the tumor size, presence of metastases at diagnosis, type of chemotherapy, presence of gross disease at the time of treatment [16].…”

Clinical and Molecular Biology of Angiosarcoma

“…Schultheiss reported that complete surgical resection of cutaneous cAS was the most important prognostic factor for survival (Schultheiss 2004). A retrospective study of 25 dogs reported that those with cutaneous cAS confined to the dermis had a mean survival time of 780 days, compared with 172 and 307 days for dogs with a primary tumor involving the hypodermis or underlying muscle, respectively (Ward et al 1994). Confinement to the dermis also was correlated with better outcome, most likely due to complete surgical resection (Schultheiss 2004).…”

“…This is not generally due to recurrence of excised tumors; rather, patients tend to develop tumors spontaneously in multiple sites. It is unclear whether these represent new primary tumors or metastatic disease (Hargis et al 1992;Ward et al 1994). Multiple surgeries can create a financial hardship for the owner, and may be the cause for dogs to be relinquished to rescue organizations or euthanized.…”