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A possible role of coarse fractionated radiotherapy in the management of gingival squamous cell carcinoma in dogs: A retrospective study of 21 cases from two referral centers in the UK.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Mosca, Andrea 
Gibson, Danielle 
Mason, Sarah L 
Giuliano, Antonio 

Abstract

Surgery with or without the addition of radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for canine oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Fractionated radiotherapy alone is also effective in the long-term control of the disease, however coarse fractionated radiotherapy (CF-RT) for gingival SCC has not been extensively reported. The aim of this study was to describe side effects, clinical response, and median survival time (MST) of dogs with gingival SCC treated with CF-RT in the palliative and adjuvant setting. Twenty-one cases from two referral centres in the UK treated with CF-RT for gingival SCC between July 2013 and June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Of the 21 dogs, 11 developed mild acute adverse effects. Oral mucositis was the most common radiation induced toxicity. Three dogs developed chronic severe adverse effects (oro-nasal fistula, bone necrosis and gum recession). Overall clinical response rate was 77% in dogs receiving palliative treatment with MST of 365 days (60-1,095 days). MST was not reached for dogs treated in the adjuvant setting with a mean of 466 days (121-730 days). In cases of advanced gross disease CF-RT might have a role in short term palliation of clinical signs. However, it carries a significant risk of late toxicity for cases with unexpectedly long survival times and further investigations are required to identify an optimal CF-RT protocol. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the role of CF-RT as adjuvant treatment of incompletely resected gingival SCC.

Description

Keywords

canine, oral tumor, palliative, radiation therapy, squamous cell carcinoma, Animals, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Dose Fractionation, Radiation, Head and Neck Neoplasms, Mouth Neoplasms, Referral and Consultation, Retrospective Studies, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, United Kingdom

Journal Title

J Vet Med Sci

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0916-7250
1347-7439

Volume Title

83

Publisher

Japanese Society of Veterinary Science