Osteosarcoma Aspects of the Dog’s Axial Skeleton: Clinical, Radiological and Histopathological Aspects

Abstract

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumour form which modifies (troubles) especially big dogs breeds. Regarding the location at the level of different bony structures at was found out a higher frequency of osteosarcoma in long bone diaphysis and metaphyses and more reduced in the skull and spine bones. The reduced incidence of osteosarcoma forms localized in the axial skeleton represents the reason of this paper. The animals were investigated from the clinical, radiological and histopathological point of view in the clinics of the Bucharest Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Three cases with axial osteosarcom are presented in this paper: -a 7-year-old male Pekingese with fibroblastic osteosarcoma localized at L6 level, -a 10-year-old female Romanian Shepherd’s localized in the right parietal level, -an 18-year-old male mixed breed dog with fibroblastic osteosarcoma localized in the right dorso-lateral region of the nasal bone. The neoplasic aspects localized at the level of the axial skeleton, considering the topographic peculiarities regarding their closeness with the vital tissues (spinal marrow, encephalon) present a reduced opportunity for a biopsy in most cases. Consequently the cytological aspects which determine us to have a suspicion regarding these neoplasic aspects are in most cases, difficult to obtain by aspiration biopsy. The method to extract the suspect bony tissue was carried out by excisional biopsy, with general anaesthesia, and the biological matter taken out was histologically examined obtaining this a diagnosis of certainty.