# Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma: How a Simple Diagnostic Test May Save Lives



## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Just read and bookmarked it from a FB post I saw linking this.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I think an U/S at 6-7 is just good sense and I've always done that as a part of beginning veteran health care. There's so much that can be detected and while it is expensive, it can save lives!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm on the other side of the fence....against routine ultrasounds.
Splenic nodules are common in older dogs (of all breeds), and finding one on ultrasound may cause an unnecessary splenectomy. Contrary to what some promote, the spleen IS necessary. It is about 1/3 of the immune system, and all sorts of issues can crop up once it is removed. My Toby fought demodex mange the rest of his life after his spleen was removed. 
But even more importantly, according to Rhonda Hovan (sorry, dont' have time to find the article right now, but it can be googled) who is THE guru of Golden retriever cancers, early detection of hemangiosarcoma does not result in ANY increased life span or quality of life. Because it is a cancer of the lining of the blood vessels, by the time it has tumored anywhere and can be seen on an ultrasound, it has already spread throughout the entire body. It is also quite likely to occur in the heart, or anywhere else there are lots of blood vessels. 
Having had a dog whose spleen was removed, probably unnecessarily in hindsight, I would not do routine ultrasounds.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

oh, I found it quickly:

Early Cancer Detection Tests: Do They Work? - Golden Retriever Club of America

here's a relevant paragraph (the bold type is in the article, not added by me):

In an alternate scenario, prompted by a positive “early cancer detection test,” an abdominal ultrasound does indeed find a splenic mass. Although the test cannot tell for certain whether the mass is hemangiosarcoma or perhaps a benign hematoma, let’s go with the worst case and say it’s HSA and the dog has a splenectomy. Has anything been gained for dogs in which a tumor is discovered as a result of a positive screening test? Well, providing that the tumor is in an operable site, it’s true that the dog will not suddenly collapse and die unexpectedly, and that is certainly important to the very small percentage of owners whose dogs will fit this circumstance. Sadly, however, the deadly course of the disease will not have changed, because *early detection has never been shown to improve outcome with regard to ability to achieve remission, duration of remission, or overall survival time in either lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma.*


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I've never found anything on a routine US, but I do do them. It gives me an amazing amount of relief to not find something...and the low level 'my dog is 7' stress goes away. That said, I totally understand your point, and had I ever removed a spleen to no good outcome I am sure I would feel it served no point. For me, it relieves me of worry.


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## scacountor (Jan 11, 2016)

I wish I had seen or knew about this. Goldens should have an annual ultrasound starting at age 7. I just lost my golden a month prior to his 10th birthday. He collapsed on Friday and was gone on Sunday. They said the tumor on his spleen was massive. He also had tumors on his liver and surrounding tissue. I just read many stories posted on this website saying their dogs lived up to an additional 7 years without a spleen. I would have taken his spleen out in a heartbeat if it meant getting an additional 2-4 years to be with him.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Don't beat yourself up over this....people who had their dogs live another many years after removing the spleen (including one of my dogs) it was only because the tumor was benign.
Removing the spleen in the case of hemangiosarcoma, which is what it sounds like your dog had, doesn't delay the course of the disease.




scacountor said:


> I wish I had seen or knew about this. Goldens should have an annual ultrasound starting at age 7. I just lost my golden a month prior to his 10th birthday. He collapsed on Friday and was gone on Sunday. They said the tumor on his spleen was massive. He also had tumors on his liver and surrounding tissue. I just read many stories posted on this website saying their dogs lived up to an additional 7 years without a spleen. I would have taken his spleen out in a heartbeat if it meant getting an additional 2-4 years to be with him.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

We had an ultra sound on our Pete and all was clear. However 5 months later he collapsed and we rushed him to the ER. He had a ruptured tumor on the spleen, which tested as hemangiosarcoma. The spleen was removed but we lost him 2 weeks later. The tumor grew and ruptured in a matter of 5 months.


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