title: Nuclear scanning with 99mTc-HDP for the initial evaluation of osseous metastasis in canine osteosarcoma.
abstract: The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the use of nuclear scintigraphy in determining the rate of secondary sites of osseous malignancy at initial presentation in dogs with osteosarcoma. Radiographs of suspicious secondary lesions were reviewed and placed into four separate categories: benign lesions; no lesion seen on radiographs; subtle radiographic changes suggestive of, but not conclusive for, metastasis; and metastatic lesions highly suspected on radiographs. Three hundred and ninety-nine dogs were evaluated by technetium nuclear scanning for suspected osteosarcoma. Three hundred and twenty-six of 399 dogs (82%) had only one apparent site on the nuclear scan, whereas 72 dogs (18%) had more than one suspicious site on the nuclear scans. Highly suspected secondary metastatic lesions were detected by nuclear scans in 7.8% of cases. Although interpretation of nuclear scans is subjective, this study showed a 7.8% chance of detecting unsuspected osseous metastasis with nuclear scans in canine osteosarcoma patients on initial presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Animal Cancer Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA. mjankows@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jankowski
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Steyn
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lana
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Dernell
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Uhrig
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lafferty
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Withrow