Beau - Cutaneous Hemangiosarcoma

Meet Beau.

Beau was presented to check an area on his inner thigh (flank) that he had been chewing. The owner noted that the lesions developed over a short period of time.

The lesions were surgically removed (picture of the same area after suture removal) and submitted to the University of Illinois for biopsy. The histopathologic diagnosis was cutaneous hemangiosarcoma.

Hemangiosarcoma is a common cancer in dogs. It is most often found in the spleen. It can also occur within the heart. Rarely, hemangiosarcoma can occur on the skin.

Since hemangiosarcoma has a high chance of spreading to other parts of the body, diagnostic testing was completed to verify that the cancer was located only in the skin. The tests were all normal.

To kill any early cells that may have spread and/or prevent cells from spreading Beau will receive chemotherapy once every three weeks for 3-5 months. 

This is Beau receiving his first dose of chemotherapy. 

Many pet owners will not consider chemotherapy as a treatment option because of the fear of side effects. While there are side effects and they can be serious, animals will often tolerate chemotherapy better than humans. Beau did not experience any side effects from his chemotherapy and has been in remission since the chemo was completed. 

Special thanks to Beau's owners for allowing us to share this case.