Primary rib tumors in 54 dogs

Abstract

Fifty-four dogs with primary tumors of the rib were evaluated. Thirty-four dogs had osteosarcomas, 15 dogs had chondrosarcomas, three dogs had hemangiosarcomas, and two dogs had fibrosarcomas. Forty-nine dogs had en bloc excision. Within the osteosarcoma group, nine animals received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. These animals had significantly longer median disease-free intervals (225 days) and median survival times (240 days) than dogs with osteosarcoma treated by surgery alone (median disease-free interval, 60 days; median survival, 90 days). Chondrosarcoma had a better prognosis (median disease-free interval, 1,080 days; median survival, 1,080 days) than osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, or fibrosarcoma of the rib. Age, weight, sex, number of ribs resected, tumor volume, and total cisplatin dose did not influence survival nor disease-free interval.

Atypical chondroblastic osteosarcoma in the axial skeleton in a dog

“…The clinical characteristics of the dog in this report regarding size and age were comparable to those cited in the literature for canine patients with osteosarcoma of the rib, that is, large-breed dogs aged 5-9 years (HEYMAN et al, 1992;PIRKEY-EHRHART et al, 1995;YUEN, 2000). However, the dog in this report was a male, and females are more predisposed to this type of neoplasia (HEYMAN et al, 1992).…”

“…The main clinical signs seen in the dog in this report were expiratory dyspnea and muffled heart sounds, similar to those observed by Feeney et al (1982). Another common clinical sign in animals with tumors on the thoracic wall is the presence of a palpable, firm, and variably painful mass over the thorax (FEENEY et al, 1982;PIRKEY-EHRHART et al, 1995). However, this clinical sign was not observed in the patient in this report.…”

“…Though less frequent, other primary tumors of the ribs can be diagnosed in dogs, such as chondrosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and fibrosarcoma (FEENEY et al, 1982;PIRKEY-EHRHART et al, 1995;LIPTAK et al, 2008).…”

“…Specific location of the tumor in the axial skeleton can influence prognosis, response to treatment, and potential for metastases (HEYMAN et al, 1992;PIRKEY-EHRHART et al, 1995).…”

Sarcomas in Three Free-ranging Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Alaska

“…The chondrosarcoma we report occurred at the costochondral junction, the most frequent site of origin of rib chondrosarcomas in dogs (Pirkey-Ehrhart et al, 1995). Chondrosarcomas are malignant neoplasms consisting of mesenchymal cells that produce a cartilage or fibrillar matrix but not osteoid.…”