Relieved Pain by Excision of Metastatic Lymph Nodes in a Dog with Osteosarcoma

Partial amputation of the left antebrachium was performed for left radial osteosarcoma in a 19-month-old Borzoi dog. Six months postoperatively, metastases of osteosarcoma to the left axillary and left superficial cervical lymph nodes with marked pain were observed. Medical pain management was ineffective. Therefore, palliative surgical resection of both lymph nodes was performed, and the pain was well-controlled. In addition to the compression of the brachial plexus by the metastasized lymph nodes, necrosis and hemorrhage associated with the rapid enlargement of the lymph nodes, which was evident in histopathological examination of the resected lymph nodes, may cause pain. These results suggest that surgical removal of metastatic lymph nodes is well tolerated and could improve the quality of life of the affected dog.