Flat-Coated Retrievers seem to be at increased risk of developing soft-tissue sarcomas, and undifferentiated round cell or spindle cell sarcomas account for approximately 59% of sarcomas in the breed. In an attempt to classify these tumors further, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 14 undifferentiated sarcomas from Flat-Coated Retrievers were reviewed and examined with a panel of histologic and immunohistochemical stains. The panel included vimentin, desmin, Myo D1, smooth muscle actin, cytokeratin, S100, von Willebrand factor (factor VIII), Mac 387, CD3, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, and CD79a. The majority of the sarcomas showed greater than 70% staining for MHC class II. We conclude that these undifferentiated sarcomas in Flat-Coated Retrievers belong to a spectrum of tumors with varying proportions of characteristic cell types and morphologic features, some of which fit the diagnostic criteria for malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Many of these sarcomas seem to have a significant myofibroblast component and a mild or moderate T cell infiltrate but the precise cell lineage is still uncertain.

Ninety bitches with mammary tumours were studied for two years after the surgical removal of the primary tumour(s). Twenty-nine of the bitches had been spayed before the development of the mammary tumour, 22 were spayed when the tumours were removed and 39 were left entire. Fifty-eight of the bitches (64 per cent) had benign tumours and, of these, 15 (26 per cent) developed a new mammary tumour within two years, irrespective of whether the bitch was spayed. The other 32 bitches had malignant tumours which were grouped into 'invasive' and 'well defined' carcinomas. Sixty-three per cent of the spayed bitches and 57 per cent of the entire bitches, with invasive carcinoma were dead within two years of surgery as a result of their mammary tumours. For those with well defined carcinomas the tumour-related death rates were 18 per cent and 33 per cent respectively for the spayed and entire bitches. These findings suggest that ovariohysterectomy when mammary tumours are removed does not have a significant effect on the progression of malignant disease, and that about one in four bitches with a benign mammary tumour is likely to develop a further tumour in another gland.

The case records of 26 dogs with nasal tumours, treated either with radiation alone or surgery and radiation, were compared. One‐ and two‐year actuarial survival rates for 12 dogs treated with radiotherapy were 58 and 13 per cent, respectively, compared to 71 and 38 per cent, respectively, for 14 dogs which were treated with surgery before radiotherapy. Sixty‐seven per cent of the dogs treated with radiotherapy had recurrent clinical signs by 52 weeks compared to 36 per cent of the dogs treated with surgery and radiotherapy. The longer disease‐free interval of the dogs treated with surgery and radiotherapy was statistically significant. When dogs with sarcomas were compared to those with carcinomas, there was no significant difference in disease‐free interval or survival time.

A radiological assessment of 35 canine nasal tumours using an objective scoring system was carried out and related to patient survival. The scoring system demonstrated significant increases in disease-free interval and survival for dogs with scores of less than 12 compared to those with scores of 12 or above.

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