Hemangiosarcoma
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Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer that, in the most serious variety, is almost always fatal in dogs because it is so difficult to detect before it has reached the life-threatening stage. Historically the prognosis for the disease is not good because by the time it is diagnosed there were no treatment options and the dog typically died within six to eight weeks after the diagnosis. With new methods for testing for the cancer as well as drug therapies and chemotherapy the disease, while still very serious, is often not fatal if detected early. [...]
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Literally cancer can form anywhere in the body, and hemangiosarcomas are cancerous cells and tumors that form in the blood vessels throughout a dog's body. Any breed of dog can develop hemangiosarcomas although they are most common in breeds such as the German Shepherd, Boxer, English Setter and Golden Retriever. Since it is most common in these particular breeds of dogs there is likely a genetic factor that contributes to the development of the cancer, although the exact link or marker is not known. It is interesting to note that hemangiosarcomas are very rare in other species of pets with cats rarely if ever developing the condition. Humans also very rarely develop hemangiosarcomas, which means that research on this cancer is really specific to researchers working with canine cancers. [...]