Outcome of dogs with high-grade soft tissue sarcomas treated with and without adjuvant doxorubicin chemotherapy: 39 cases (1996-2004)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of adjuvant doxorubicin chemotherapy on outcome in dogs with high-grade (grade 3) soft tissue sarcomas (HGSTSs). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 39 dogs. PROCEDURES: Medical records of dogs with HGSTSs were reviewed. Dogs treated with surgery alone or receiving single-agent doxorubicin chemotherapy postoperatively were included in the study. Owners and referring veterinarians were contacted for follow-up information. Slides from histologic sections were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis of HGSTSs. Cases in which follow-up examination was not performed and radiation therapy or chemotherapy other than doxorubicin was administered were excluded. RESULTS: 39 dogs met inclusion criteria. Twenty-one dogs received adjuvant doxorubicin. Tumor-, patient-, and treatment-related variables were not significantly associated with measured outcomes including local, metastatic, and overall disease-free intervals as well as survival time. Overall median disease-free interval was 724 days with a median survival time of 856 days for all dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy did not benefit this population of dogs with HGSTSs. Outcome for visceral HGSTSs was similar to that of nonvisceral HGSTSs in these cases.