Survival times in dogs with right atrial hemangiosarcoma treated by means of surgical resection with or without adjuvant chemotherapy: 23 Cases (1986-2000)

Objective - To determine survival times in dogs with right atrial hemangiosarcoma treated by means of pericardectomy and tumor resection, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy, and identify complications associated with treatment. Design - Retrospective study. Animals - 23 dogs. Procedure - Dogs were included only if the diagnosis was confirmed histologically. Results - The most common initial complaints included acute collapse (8 [35%] dogs), anorexia or inappetence (8 [35%]), and lethargy (8 [35%]).The most common physical examination abnormalities included muffled heart sounds (12 [52%] dogs), tachycardia (7 [30%])•, and weak pulses (7 [30%]). Postoperative complications developed in 12 (52%) dogs; however, most complications were minor. Twenty (87%) dogs were discharged from the hospital. Survival time was significantly longer in the 8 dogs that received adjuvant chemotherapy (mean, 164 days; median, 175 days) than in the 15 dogs that did not receive chemotherapy (mean, 46 days; median, 42 days). Dogs that received chemotherapy were significantly younger and had significantly lower WBC counts than did dogs that did not receive chemotherapy. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance - Results suggested that in dogs with right atrial hemangiosarcoma, surgical resection of the tumor was associated with a low complication rate and complications that did arise typically were minor. In addition, use of adjuvant chemotherapy following resection was associated with significantly longer survival times, compared with resection alone.