Forty‐two dogs bearing tumours of the rectum or the pararectal tissues were examined over a 3 year period. The presenting clinical signs, diagnostic techniques and management are described. The prognosis was found to be guarded irrespective of the histological type. The mean survival times for malignant epithelial tumours of the rectal wall was 6–9 months, for rectal lymphomas 6‐5 months and for pararectal tumours 10‐6 months. The major limiting factor was found to be local recurrence after surgery for rectal epithelial tumours, resistance to chemotherapy and local recurrence for rectal lymphomas and metastatic disease for pararectal tumours.

A series of eight cases of synovial sarcoma in the dog is presented together with a literature review of previously reported cases. It is an uncommon tumour occuring mainly around joints and affects more males than females. It occurs most frequently in medium to large dogs of middle age. Clinical signs may develop over a long period of time and the tumour is locally invasive with an unpredictable capacity to metatasise. Radiographically it appears as a soft tissue mass which invades bone. Histological diagnosis may be difficult because of the heterogenicity of the tumour and suitable biopsy techniques are discussed. On present evidence amputation appears to be the most effective form of treatment in the dog.

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This paper describes the chemotherapeutic response of 90 cases of canine multicentric lymphoma. All the dogs were treated with a combination protocol using cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone. Forty‐seven dogs received additional intravenous cytosine arabinoside on the first four days of treatment. Eighty‐eight per cent of all cases had shown either a complete or partial response to this treatment at six weeks from the start of treatment and the overall mean survival time was 37 weeks (SD = 35.8). There was no significant difference in response or survival rates between the two treatment groups. The age and sex of the patient, the clinical stage of the disease and previous treatment with corticosteroids were all analysed to determine whether these parameters were of prognostic significance. Those dogs in clinical stages 4 and 5 carried a worse prognosis than those in stages 1 to 3. Previous treatment with corticosteroids adversely affected both tumour response and patient survival rates.