Canine Soft Tissue Sarcoma Managed in First Opinion Practice: Outcome in 350 Cases

Objective To determine outcome of dogs with a diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma managed in first opinion practice. Study Design Retrospective, case‐controlled study Animals Dogs (n = 350) with primary occurrence of a soft tissue sarcoma. Methods A previously validated questionnaire was sent to all veterinarians requesting clinical information and ultimate outcome for all dogs. Histologic sections were reviewed by a single pathologist. Results Most surgeries were unplanned, with only 15 (4%) dogs having a histologic and 59 (16.8%) dogs having a cytologic diagnosis before surgery. Median survival time for all dogs was not reached with 70% proportional survival at 5 years. Local recurrence developed in 73 (20.8%) cases. The extent of resection performed was not associated with improved survival (P = .2) or tumor recurrence (P = .8). Age