Multiple preoperative biopsies may increase histologic grade accuracy in canine soft tissue sarcoma: a prospective study.

Multiple biopsies from central and peripheral tumor areas improve pre-operative grade accuracy in canine soft tissue sarcomas.

This prospective study evaluated the concordance between pre-operative biopsies and final histology in 32 dogs with soft tissue sarcomas, addressing concerns that single biopsies show only ~59% agreement with definitive histology. Three punch biopsies were obtained from central and peripheral tumor areas following surgical removal. Results demonstrated significant variation based on biopsy location: central biopsies achieved 71% concordance (K=0.47) while peripheral biopsies achieved 59% concordance (K=0.33). Peripheral biopsies underestimated definitive grade in 40.5% of cases compared to 29% for central biopsies. The authors concluded that obtaining at least two biopsies from both peripheral and central tumor regions substantially improves the accuracy of pre-operative histologic grading. This finding has important implications for surgical planning and prognostication in canine soft tissue sarcomas, suggesting that multi-site sampling strategies may enhance the clinical utility of pre-operative biopsy results.

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