Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal sacs in three dogs.
- Journal:
- The Journal of small animal practice
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Mellett, S et al.
- Affiliation:
- UCD School of Veterinary Medicine
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This report discusses three dogs diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma in their anal sacs. In these cases, the dogs were treated with a medication called meloxicam instead of surgery, and they lived for up to seven months after starting treatment. Importantly, there were no signs that the cancer had spread to other parts of their bodies. Even though this type of cancer is very uncommon, it should be considered by veterinarians when a dog has a mass near its anal sacs. Overall, the treatment helped the dogs survive for several months.
Abstract
Anal sac squamous cell carcinoma is rare in dogs. Five cases have been previously reported, treatment of which involved surgery alone. This report describes three further cases of canine anal sac squamous cell carcinoma which underwent medical (meloxicam) management alone, resulting in survival of up to seven months. No metastases were identified. Squamous cell carcinoma, although extremely uncommon, should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis when a dog is presented for investigation of an anal sac mass.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25208811/