Clinical evaluation of neoadjuvant tyrosine kinase inhibitor administration for mast cell tumours in eight dogs

Abstract

Complete surgical removal of tumour cells is the first-line treatment for canine cutaneous mast cell tumours. Surgical removal of mast cell tumours sometimes requires radical surgery. This may cause severe complications, loss of biological function or poor cosmetic outcomes. This report describes the clinical outcomes of preoperative administration of an effective tyrosine kinase inhibitor for mast cell tumours. Five of eight cases responded to tyrosine kinase inhibitors; complete removal was possible in three cases with narrower (<1 cm) surgical margins than the conventional tumour margin estimated from the original tumour size. Mast cell tumours may not require wide resection if they are responsive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors before surgical removal. Preoperative administration of tyrosine kinase inhibitors could be a treatment option for dogs that have difficulty with complete removal causing severe surgical complications, or for owners who do not accept loss of biological function or poor cosmetic outcomes.