Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐! Just felt like it 
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Hemangiosarcoma is a tumour of ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ, which are the cells that line blood vessels. They are most commonly originate in the spleen, skin, heart and liver, but can send metastases anywhere in the body. They are very highly aggressive, and often by the time they are diagnosed, there are already metastases somewhere in the body.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Dogs are the primary species that gets hemangiosarcoma, especially old dogs. German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are particularly predisposed to this tumour.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
The main problem with hemangiosarcomas is the fact that they are derived from blood vessels. Tumours tend to form similar structures to what they are derived from, so these tumours are essentially big bundles of vessels. This makes them quite fragile, and prone to rupture. And if they do ruptureโฆ look out! They will hemorrhage blood with very poor clotting capacity. This can lead to ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ (blood in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart), ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฑ (blood in the thoracic cavity) or ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง (blood in the abdominal cavity). Dogs can lose enough blood from a ruptured hemangiosarcoma to potentially kill them.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Hemangiosarcomas is most commonly diagnosed by a ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฒ (a sample of tissue). Most often, the veterinarian will do an ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฒ where they attempt to remove the entire tumour, leaving no tumour cells behind. This can help prevent regrowth or spread of the tumour, which is important because hemangiosarcomas are very aggressive! At necropsy, hemangiosarcomas are red to black or hemorrhagic, and can be quite fragile. As mentioned previously, there might be blood in the body cavities if the tumour had ruptured.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Hemangiosarcoma is usually treated by surgery, but chemotherapy and radiation therapy are also possible options. Unfortunately, the prognosis of this tumour is usually quite poor. For example, dogs with hemangiosarcoma on the spleen live an average of 2 months after ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ (surgical removal of the entire spleen, a type of excisional biopsy) alone, and up to 6-8 months with both splenectomy and chemotherapy. If your dog is diagnosed, consultation with a board-certified oncologist can help determine a prognosis for your specific pet.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1) Hemangiosarcoma in the spleen. This is often the primary site of this tumour. This tumour had ruptured previously, and you can see a stringy blood clot attached to it.
2) Hemangiosarcoma in the liver.
3) Hemangiosarcoma in the heart. It typically is found on the ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ, which is the chamber where deoxygenated blood from the body enters the heart. QOTD: What do you think might happen if a hemangiosarcoma on the heart ruptured?
4) Hemoabdomen caused by rupture of a hemangiosarcoma.
5) Metastases to the lungs. They tend to be ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ because the tumour cells get lodged in multiple different places, rather than forming one large tumour.
6) Metastases to the brain. Anywhere with a blood supply could potentially get a metastasis!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 3. Sixth Edition.Phillips, B. Flory, A. ACVIM Fact Sheet: Hemangiosarcoma.
Photos 1, 2 and 5 courtesy of University of Calgary Diagnostic Services Unit.
Photo 3, 4 and 6 courtesy of Noahโs Arkive.
