Download Hemangiosarcoma

www.southpaws.com
SouthPaws Oncology Service
8500 Arlington Boulevard
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
Tel: 703.752.9100
Fax: 703.752.9200
Hemangiosarcoma, a malignant cancer that arises from the cells that line the inside of blood
vessels is a fairly common cancer in dogs, although rare in cats. We can describe it based
on its initial location into one of three “categories” to help predict biologic behavior: internal
(spleen, liver, heart, other internal organs); subcutaneous or intramuscular; and cutaneous.
Internal hemangiosarcoma can originate in the spleen, liver, heart, or occasionally other
internal organ. Initial diagnosis of this cancer may be suspected based on location and
ultrasound appearance, or due to clinical signs of sudden severe internal bleeding, but
biopsy is necessary to rule out other forms of cancer. Surgical removal of the primary tumor
may prevent rapid death from internal bleeding, but typical post-operative survival times are
under two months if adjuvant chemotherapy is not also used. With surgery plus successful
chemotherapy, we can increase the life expectancy of these pets to 7-9 months with about
10% of treated pets doing well for more than 12 months. Primary cardiac hemangiosarcoma
can often not be treated with surgery, meaning that medical therapy alone is used.
Dogs or cats that are diagnosed with subcutaneous or intramuscular hemangiosarcoma
should have the tumor completely excised with wide margins by a surgeon to prevent rapid
local recurrence. With surgery alone, the life expectancy of these patients is typically six
months since most will develop metastatic disease. With chemotherapy, we can often
increase survival time to 1 ½ years.
Cutaneous hemangiosarcoma is a sun-induced cancer (UV radiation) seen in thin coated,
white dogs. If it is removed surgically before it has invaded from the skin into the
subcutaneous tissue, it can be cured without the need for follow up chemotherapy. If the
tumor does not have the classic visual appearance or has occurred in the skin of a not-atrisk patient (i.e. not white or thinly haired), chest radiographs and abdominal ultrasound are
strongly advised to be certain that the tumor in the skin is a true primary – and not a
cutaneous metastasis of an internal hemangiosarcoma.
Patients treated with chemotherapy for hemangiosarcoma often receive doxorubicin plus or
minus additional chemotherapy medications. Metronomic therapy (anti-angiogenic) is
typically started during chemotherapy and continued long term post-chemotherapy. ▪