Stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment of osteosarcomas involving the distal portions of the limbs in dogs.

摘要

The purpose of the present report was to describe the use of a frameless, stereotactic radiosurgery system (SRS), adapted from a system developed for the treatment of intracranial tumours in human patients, for SRS in dogs with appendicular osteosarcomas and report the results and complications of the technique in 11 dogs. Application of SRS to tumours of the proximal portions of the limbs and to tumours in axial locations is also feasible with slight modifications of the method used to secure the targeting array to the affected bone. The limiting factors in the use of SRS for appendicular osteosarcomas are the size of the tumour and the condition of the bone at the time of therapy, as adequate coverage of large tumours with 3000-cGy isodose line is not always possible and the risk of pathological fracture remains after treatment. Thus, SRS should ideally be used to treat appendicular osteosarcomas that are relatively small and have caused minimal bone destruction.