Surgical treatment of conjunctival hemangioma and hemangiosarcoma: A retrospective study of 52 dogs

Abstract

Objective To review cases of canine conjunctival hemangioma (HA) and hemangiosarcoma (HSA) treated surgically at a referral center to establish success of surgical management, recurrence rates, and long‐term outcomes for patients. Animals Studied Retrospective record review of dogs that underwent surgery to remove histologically diagnosed conjunctival HA or HSA between April 2004 and April 2020 to collect data on signalment, tumor location, interval between initial presentation and surgery, tumor diagnosis, surgical dose, surgical margins, tumor size, recurrence and survival times. Results A total of 52 dogs (60 tumors) were included. The mean age of affected dogs was 8.69 years; the most affected breed was the Border collie (n = 13, 25%). 28 tumors were HA (46.67%) and 32 HSA (53.33%). Tumors occurred in three locations: the lateral bulbar conjunctiva (n = 37, 61.67%), the third eyelid margin (n = 19, 31.67%), and the ventral conjunctival fornix (n = 4, 6.67%). There was no site predilection for HA versus HSA. 97% of tumors occurred in non‐pigmented tissue. Corneal invasion was more likely to be a feature of malignant tumors. Five tumors were incompletely excised, one of which recurred. There was no statistical difference in likelihood of incomplete excision between HSA and HA. Six tumors (10%) recurred. HSA was not statistically more likely to recur than HA. Recurrence times ranged from 5 weeks to 1 year. Conclusion Surgical treatment of conjunctival HA and HSA is likely to be curative. There is a recurrence rate of 10% regardless of tumor type, and recurrence may be late in the course of the disease.

Primary ocular hemangiosarcoma in a dog

“…2 Conjunctival vascular neoplasms generally have a good prognosis, 5 and total removal of the globe is usually curative, with a reported recurrence rate of 10% between hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas. 11,12 However, it is unknown whether this similar behaviour applies to limbic vascular tumours. 3 The prognostic information and follow-up of the cases with corneal vascular neoplasms are not always available in retrospective studies 2 and rely on single case reports.…”

“…The prognosis of limbal, conjunctival and corneal vascular neoplasms in dogs may depend on the size and extent of the lesion, and especially on the ability to completely remove the mass with clean margins 2 . Conjunctival vascular neoplasms generally have a good prognosis, 5 and total removal of the globe is usually curative, with a reported recurrence rate of 10% between hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas 11,12 . However, it is unknown whether this similar behaviour applies to limbic vascular tumours 3 .…”

Challenges in diagnosing canine spindle cell tumours using immunohistochemistry, illustrated by three nonpigmented malignant cases from the nictitating membrane.

“…Sarcomas in general and malignant melanomas demonstrate aggressive, locally invasive tissue involvement. Some studies even discuss de novo tumours arising from the same location [33]. Early, complete surgical excision is recommended and may be curative, though recurrence is a risk [10,33] The treatment of choice for hemangiosarcomas and malignant melanomas is radical surgery.…”

“…Some studies even discuss de novo tumours arising from the same location [33]. Early, complete surgical excision is recommended and may be curative, though recurrence is a risk [10,33] The treatment of choice for hemangiosarcomas and malignant melanomas is radical surgery. The prognosis is probably better when surgery is performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist with microsurgical skills and access to an operating microscope and microsurgical equipment [33].…”

Challenges in diagnosing canine spindle cell tumours using immunohistochemistry, illustrated by three nonpigmented malignant cases from the nictitating membrane

“…In dogs most sarcomas seem to be spontaneous. Earlier publications strongly indicate that UV exposure is a risk factor in conjunctival hemangiosarcomas [10,[31][32][33]. There is no breed predisposition for conjunctival hemangiosarcomas, but middle-aged to older, middle to large-size dogs with significant outdoor activity are more commonly affected [9,10,30].…”