Oncology - thoracic cavity tumors

Question 1

what kind of signalment do we see with chest wall tumors?

Answer 1

large breed, middle aged (4-6)

Question 2

what is the main presenting complaint for chest wall tumors?

Answer 2

the owner usually will notice a firm and fixed mass

Question 3

what is the most common rib tumor in dogs?

Answer 3

osteosarcoma, accounts for 73% of all rib tumors

Question 4

what is the 2nd most common rib tumor?

Answer 4

chondrosarcoma

Question 5

are chest wall tumors common in cats?

Answer 5

no, very rare

Question 6

how do we diagnose chest wall tumors?

Answer 6

• thoracic radiographs
• cytology
• wedge biopsy of tissue
• CT for surgical planning

Question 7

how big should the wedge biopsy for chest wall tumor be?

Answer 7

over 1 cm

Question 8

what are the treatments for chest wall tumors ?

Answer 8

• en bloc excision with chest wall reconstruction
• caudal lung lobectomy
• adjunctive chemo with rib OSA

Question 9

what is the max amount of ribs you can remove when removing a chest wall tumor?

Answer 9

6

Question 10

why is it so important to know the subtype of chest wall tumors?

Answer 10

MST is greatly effected by the subtype, MST for chest wall resection of OSA without chemo adjunctive therapy is about 120 days compared to over 1,000 days if its a CSA

Question 11

what is important to remember about cats regarding lung tumors?

Answer 11

they can have lung-digit syndrome, a lesion in lung mets to the toes, don’t amputate toe without doing chest rads

Question 12

what is the most common type of lung tumor in dogs?

Answer 12

carcinoma, 97%

Question 13

what is the most common type of lung tumor in cats?

Answer 13

bronchial adenocarcinoma (66%)

Question 14

what is essential for staging animals with lung tumors?

Answer 14

CT

Question 15

what important anatomical structure is needed to stage the tumor?

Answer 15

the tracheobronchial lymph node