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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
Operating Procedures of the Electrochemotherapy for Treatment of Tumor in Dogs and Cats
Published on: October 24, 2016
Hypotonic water as adjuvant therapy for incompletely resected canine mast cell tumors: a randomized, double-blind,
Bouvien A W Brocks1, Isabelle J S Neyens, Erik Teske
1Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To evaluate efficacy of hypotonic water as adjuvant therapy after marginal resection of canine mast cell tumors (MCT).
Study Design:
Double-blinded, placebo-controlled, prospective, randomized study.
Animals:
Dogs (n=30) with spontaneous, cutaneous, solitary MCT.
Methods:
The wound bed of MCT, resected with margins <0.5 cm, was injected with either hypotonic or isotonic water according to a standardized protocol. Follow-up was obtained by clinical examination at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months and annual telephone contact with the owner.
Results:
Eighteen dogs were treated with isotonic lactated Ringer's solution and 12 dogs with hypotonic distilled water. All MCT were stage 0 tumors and most grade II. Six tumors (4 isotonic, 2 hypotonic) recurred locally, 3 of these dogs died from disease-related reasons within 4 months. The surviving 3 dogs were alive with a median survival time (ST) of 1092 days. The calculated 2-year recurrence-free rate was 92.7%; the 2-year disease-free rate 79.1%; and the 2-year survival rate 89.5%. No significant differences in local recurrence and ST were observed between treatment groups. Histologic grading was the only significant prognosticator for ST and recurrence-free periods.
Conclusion:
No significant differences in local recurrence and ST were observed between adjunctive hypotonic water and placebo treatment after marginal resection of solitary MCT.
Clinical Relevance:
Hypotonic water does not decrease the rate of local recurrence in dogs with solitary MCT after marginal surgical excision.
