Survival time and prognostic factors in dogs diagnosed with haemangiosarcoma in UK first opinion practice

AbstractVisceral haemangiosarcoma is considered clinically aggressive in dogs, with perceived poor prognosis often leading to euthanasia at presentation. This study aimed to determine survival times and prognostic factors in dogs with haemangiosarcoma under first-opinion care. Dogs diagnosed with haemangiosarcoma in first-opinion practice in 2019 were identified in VetCompass electronic health records (EHRs) and manually examined to capture variables potentially associated with survival. Median survival time (MST) from diagnosis was calculated for the whole population and based on the primary tumour location. Binary logistic regression was used to explore differences between dogs that died on the day of diagnosis and those that survived [≥]1 day. Cox proportional hazards modelling explored factors associated with time to death in dogs that survived [≥]1 day. Across all haemangiosarcoma cases (n=788), overall MST was 9.0 days (95%CI:5.0-15.0, range: 0-1789) and proportional 1-year survival was 12.0% (95%CI:9.7-15.0%). Dogs with splenic (MST=4.0 days, 95%CI 0.0-9.0) and cutaneous haemangiosarcoma (MST=119.0 days,95%CI:85.0-248.0) had MST greater than 0 days. Male sex and increasing tumour size were associated with increased hazard of death while cutaneous location and surgery were associated with reduced hazard of death. A very short survival time was identified for haemangiosarcoma under first-opinion care. Although survival time was longest for cutaneous cases, the actualised prognosis was poor overall for haemangiosarcoma. This study provides valuable information for contextualised care and dialogues with clients in first-opinion practice.