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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. ▪