Evaluation of microwave ablation for local treatment of dogs with distal radial osteosarcoma: A pilot study

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) as a modality to induce tumor necrosis within distal radial osteosarcoma (OSA). Study design Pilot study. Animals Six client‐owned dogs with distal radius OSA confirmed by cytological examination. Methods Dogs underwent computed tomography for surgical planning before general anesthesia for fluoroscopy‐guided ablation. Computed tomography was repeated 48 hours after MWA, before amputation. The ablated tumor was evaluated with histopathology. Results Six dogs underwent MWA of distal radius OSA. A lower power setting (30 W) was selected for the first two dogs to avoid collateral soft tissue damage. The power was increased to 75 W for the last four dogs. The temperature was maintained between 45°C and 55°C (113 °F‐131 °F) at the bone/soft tissue interface. Tumor necrosis varied between 30% and 90% (median, 55%) according to histopathology. No intraoperative or periprocedural complications were observed. Conclusion Microwave ablation induced variable tumor necrosis and did not induce immediate postablation complications in these six dogs with distal radius OSA. Clinical significance These results justify further evaluation of MWA as a potential modality to treat primary bone lesions in dogs.