Neurologic improvement and tumor shrinkage after radiotherapy in dogs with imaging-based intracranial neoplasia.

Radiotherapy improves neurologic function in dogs with intracranial tumors despite incomplete correlation with tumor shrinkage.

This study evaluated neurologic improvement and tumor shrinkage in 106 dogs with imaging-diagnosed intracranial neoplasia treated with 10-fraction definitive-intent radiotherapy. Dogs were prospectively assessed using a validated neurodisability scoring system, supplemented by a simplified retrospective score. Tumor diagnoses included extraparenchymal (45.3%), intraparenchymal (35.8%), and pituitary tumors (18.9%), with median follow-up of 581 days. Neurodisability scores improved significantly before radiotherapy due to medical management and again during treatment. At peak response, 76% of dogs exhibited no or only mild neurologic deficits. Tumor volume significantly decreased at 6 and 12 months, with median shrinkage of -39% for extraparenchymal, -83% for intraparenchymal, and -47% for pituitary tumors. Notably, only moderate correlation between tumor reduction and neurologic improvement was observed at 6 months, suggesting that tumor volume alone does not predict functional outcomes. Results remained consistent across treatment protocols, demonstrating that radiotherapy provides substantial tumor reduction and lasting neurologic improvement.

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