Liver tumors often occur in older dogs and are often related to metastasis from tumors in other parts of the body. Liver tumors are often detected late because the symptoms are very nonspecific. Treatment can involve surgical intervention. Additionally, treatment with dendritic cell therapy may be beneficial if the tumor is inoperable.
Causes
Liver tumors most commonly occur in older dogs. These tumors can be either benign or malignant changes in the liver. In many cases, the liver tumor may be metastases originating from other tumor diseases in the dog’s body.
The liver is much more often affected by metastases from other organs (such as the spleen) than by the formation of primary tumors directly in the liver. For example, there are often so-called imprint metastases due to direct contact of organs in the abdominal cavity. However, colonization from other body areas is also possible due to the anatomical location on the portal vein.
Occurrence of Liver Tumors in Dogs
The older the dog, the higher the likelihood of developing a liver tumor. Therefore, regular check-ups are recommended for older dogs to detect changes early. Early detection can improve the prognosis. Liver tumors can occur singly, multifocally, or diffusely.
- Single/nodular: There is a single tumor in the dog’s liver (nodular form).
- Multifocal: There are multiple tumors in the dog’s liver, but they are well demarcated from the surrounding tissue.
- Diffuse: The tumor in the liver is not clearly demarcated from the surrounding tissue.
Classification of Liver Tumors
Liver tumors in your dog can be classified according to their origin as follows:
- Primary tumors of the liver (e.g., carcinoma, hemangiosarcoma, adenomas)
- Tumors of the hematopoietic system with liver involvement (malignant lymphoma)
- Metastases from other tumors
Statistics show that in one-third of all dogs who died of cancer, liver metastases were also found. Therefore, the primary tumor may have formed in a distant organ, and the liver tumor may be just a metastasis.
Symptoms of Liver Tumors in Dogs
Symptoms of a liver tumor in a dog can be very diverse and often nonspecific:
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increased thirst
- Weight loss
Changes in consciousness and neurological symptoms can also occur in connection with liver tumors. Water retention in the abdomen or jaundice is less commonly observed.
Liver tumors are often detected very late, so if you notice any of these symptoms in your dog, you should immediately contact a veterinarian so that your dog can receive a diagnosis and appropriate treatment as soon as possible.
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of liver tumors, a complete blood count and an ultrasound examination are performed:
- Complete Blood Count: Elevated liver enzyme levels (ALT, AST, ALKP, and gGT) indicate a liver tumor but often only serve as indications for further investigations as they are still too nonspecific.
- Ultrasound: Ultrasound can detect any enlargement of the liver.
- Biopsy: The diagnosis suggested by imaging techniques should be definitively confirmed by a biopsy (removal and examination of tissue samples).
If your dog cannot undergo a biopsy, feel free to contact us so that we can help you find a specialist for the diagnosis of a possible liver tumor in your dog.
Course and Prognosis
The prognosis and life expectancy depend on the stage at which the liver tumor was detected. Additionally, it depends on how malignant the tumor is. The location in the liver can lead to the tumor being inoperable. However, surgery in the area of the bile ducts has a good prognosis if complete resection (removal) is possible.
Due to the fact that the tumor is often detected very late, it can spread widely (metastasize) to other organs of the body.
Furthermore, regarding the course of such a disease, it can be said that dogs once affected by this type of tumor are more susceptible to tumor recurrence (recurrence). Nevertheless, dogs suffering from a liver tumor often live relatively long with increasing disease symptoms.
A new way to check for the presence of liver tumors is the so-called Klotho factor: There are studies suggesting that a blood test for a so-called Klotho release provides important insights into the prognosis of liver cancer. In dogs with normal liver function, Klotho levels are within the normal range. In contrast, Klotho expression was significantly reduced in dogs with liver cancer. Additionally, it was found that Klotho expression was significantly associated with the tumor size of the carcinoma, the blood value of the liver enzyme (alanine aminotransferase or ALT), and the presence of metastasis.
Analysis of the survival curve revealed that reduced Klotho expression was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival in liver cancer. Therefore, Klotho could become an indicator of survival parameters in dogs with liver cancer in the near future. So far, this investigation has not been adopted as a standard practice.
Treatment Options
If a liver tumor has been diagnosed in your dog, surgical removal may be considered if the change is localized. In the case of malignant tumors, there is always the possibility of finding metastases following surgery due to the location of the liver in the abdominal cavity. Therefore, after liver surgery in your dog, further consideration may be given to immunological treatment, such as dendritic cell therapy.
Additionally, dietary changes should be made. It is important to strengthen the liver and support its metabolism with the feed and its ingredients. Hepatoforce from Vetfood has proven itself there, for example. The advantage here compared to tablet preparations is that the capsules can be opened and mixed into the food.
Treatment of Liver Tumors with Dendritic Cell Therapy
Even in cases of inoperable liver tumors, you should consider dendritic cell therapy for your dog’s liver tumor to improve your pet’s quality of life and potentially enhance life expectancy. Dendritic cell therapy aims to build up your dog’s immune system so that the cancer cells of the liver tumor are attacked and destroyed. This alerts the immune system to the cancer cells, no matter where they are in your dog’s body – even if the cells have migrated to other organs.
It is often observed that the liver tumor “encapsulates” under treatment. This means that the edges of the tumor become clearer on the ultrasound image, making them better delineated from the surrounding tissue in the liver. Therefore, an ultrasound examination can take place shortly after the start of treatment (approximately 14 days) to assess the success of the treatment.
A typical treatment cycle usually consists of three applications spaced four weeks apart. Subsequent applications with dendritic cells can occur every 12 to 16 weeks. These are recommended at the latest when you feel that the dog’s enjoyment of life is diminishing.
Read here about the successful treatment with dendritic cell therapy of Buffy, a Border Collie mix female with metastatic liver tumor.
End-stage Liver Tumor
End-stage is often mentioned with an inoperable liver tumor. However, it is important to assess each situation individually. Often, even in the end-stage of liver tumor disease, supportive interventions can still be made to significantly alleviate the patient’s condition. Dogs often live for a long time, even with inoperable tumors. Specifically, with dendritic cell therapy, dogs with inoperable liver tumors can often enjoy a good quality of life for a long time. Because for many owners, it is not an option to simply look away without continuing to help their dog.
