# Osteosarcoma incidence in dogs following a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy

## TL;DR

A study suggests that dogs who undergo a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) may have a higher risk of developing osteosarcoma later in life.

## Contribution

This is the first study to report a 40-fold increased risk of osteosarcoma in dogs following TPLO surgery.

## Key findings

- Dogs with a history of TPLO had a 40.65 times higher risk of osteosarcoma compared to those without TPLO.
- The confidence interval was wide, indicating uncertainty about the true effect size.
- The study highlights the need for further matched case-control research to confirm the association.

## Abstract

In dogs, does undergoing a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) compared to not undergoing a TPLO affect the future risk of developing osteosarcoma?

Risk.

One experimental study, designed as a matched case control.

Weak.

Only one study is appropriately designed to investigate a TPLO and associated osteosarcoma risk. This study found a 40-fold increased risk in dogs with a history of TPLO, compared to dogs that had not undergone a TPLO (OR, 40.65; 95% CI, 4.04 to 409.06; P = 0.002).

There is weak yet preliminary indication to suggest a TPLO increases a dog’s risk of developing osteosarcoma later in life. However, with such a wide confidence interval, the true effect remains unclear. Additional matched case-control studies are needed to strengthen knowledge of this correlation, however until this time osteosarcoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in post-TPLO dogs which present with lameness and/or proximal limb swelling.