Research Note: Likelihood of Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs with Hemoabdomen

Nontraumatic hemoabdomen is costly to evaluate and treat. Considering the likelihood of hemangiosarcoma, many dogs with hemoabdomen are euthanized without undergoing surgery. The ability to evaluate and determine patient risk for developing hemangiosarcoma may help facilitate recommendations for clinicians and decision-making for owners. A retrospective study of 406 dogs from 5 veterinary medical centers helped develop a prediction model known as the Hemangiosarcoma Likelihood Prediction (HeLP). Using data from 219 dogs, an algorithm was developed to calculate a score (0-100) based on 4 variables (ie, body weight, total plasma protein, platelet count, thoracic radiograph findings). The patients were divided into the following risk groups based on their HeLP score: low (0-40), medium (41-55), and high (>55); incidence of a hemangiosarcoma diagnosis on histopathology according to risk group was 36%, 76%, and 96%, respectively. HeLP scores were then validated in a separate population of 187 dogs, demonstrating good discrimination. The HeLP score can be further refined with larger study groups.