Palliative endoscopic debulking treatment of canine nasal carcinoma - 35 cases (2016 to 2019): A retrospective multicentric study.

Objective: This retrospective study investigated the palliative efficacy of endoscopic diode laser and forceps debulking (EDLFD) for managing nasal carcinoma in dogs.

Animals and procedure: Thirty-five dogs with histopathological diagnosis of nasal carcinoma that underwent EDLFD treatment were included. Descriptive statistics were reported regarding age, sex, neutering status, weight, body condition score, epistaxis, sneezing, stertor, reverse sneezing, nasal discharge, facial deformity, tumor laterality, modified Adams staging, quality of life at presentation, histotypes, EDLFD duration, adjuvant metronomic chemotherapy, and survival time.

Results: Eighteen (51%) dogs exhibited clinical signs persisting for > 3 mo, with 80% failing to respond to previous medical treatments. Unilateral discharge was the most common complaint. Tumor location was categorized as nasal in 43% of cases (unilateral: 37% and bilateral: 6%) and as nasal and nasopharyngeal in 57%. No major intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed associated with EDLFD. The median survival time was 336 d. A clinical benefit > 50% was observed 3 mo after EDLFD.

Conclusion and clinical relevance: We concluded that EDLFD was a viable palliative approach for nasal carcinoma in dogs, offering promising results in improving quality of life.