Frameless stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of primary intracranial tumours in dogs

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a procedure that delivers a single large radiation dose to a well-defined target. Here, we describe a frameless SRS technique suitable for intracranial targets in canines. Medical records of dogs diagnosed with a primary intracranial tumour by imaging or histopathology that underwent SRS were retrospectively reviewed. Frameless SRS was used successfully to treat tumours in 51 dogs with a variety of head sizes and shapes. Tumours diagnosed included 38 meningiomas, 4 pituitary tumours, 4 trigeminal nerve tumours, 3 gliomas, 1 histiocytic sarcoma and 1 choroid plexus tumour. Median survival time was 399 days for all tumours and for dogs with meningiomas; cause-specific survival was 493 days for both cohorts. Acute grade III central nervous system toxicity (altered mentation) occurred in two dogs. Frameless SRS resulted in survival times comparable to conventional radiation therapy, but with fewer acute adverse effects and only a single anaesthetic episode required for therapy.

T-cell-derived malignant lymphoma in the boxer breed

The boxer breed of dog is at high risk for a variety of neoplasms including lymphoma. In this observational study, tissue sections from boxer dogs with lymphoma were immunostained for T and B lymphocyte distinction, and the results compared with similar studies carried out on lymphoma tissues from temporally selected cohorts of golden retriever and rottweiler dogs. The frequency of T-cell lymphomas was significantly (P < 0.001 for all comparisons) higher in the boxers than in the rottweilers or golden retrievers. We are unaware of other reports linking immunotype of canine lymphoma with breed; whether other brachycephalic breeds of dogs have a similar preponderance of T-cell lymphoma awaits further study.