Perioperative complications and outcome after surgery for treatment of gastric carcinoma in dogs: A Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology retrospective study of 40 cases (2004–2018)

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics, perioperative complications, and outcomes in dogs surgically treated for gastric carcinoma. Study design: Multi-institutional retrospective case series. Animals: Forty client-owned dogs with histologically confirmed gastric carcinoma. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for preoperative diagnostics, surgery, histopathology, postoperative complications, adjuvant chemotherapy, disease progression, and survival. Variables were assessed for associations with outcome by using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: Surgical treatment included partial gastrectomy (28 dogs), Billroth I (9 dogs), subtotal gastrectomy (2 dogs), and submucosal resection (1 dog). Major postoperative complications occurred in 8 of 40 dogs, including septic peritonitis secondary to dehiscence in 4 dogs. The median progression free interval was 54 days, and the median survival time (MST) was 178 days (range, 1–1902). According to multivariable analysis results, experiencing an intraoperative complication was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 3.5, 95% CI 1.1–9.8, P =.005), and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy correlated with an improved survival (HR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.9, P =.03). Conclusion: In this population of dogs, MST exceeded historically reported data, major postoperative complication rates were comparable to established literature, and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved survival. Clinical significance: Results from this study may be used to counsel owners more accurately regarding prognosis for dogs undergoing surgical excision for gastric carcinoma.