oral fibrosarcoma

Hello, my dog is 10 kg and it has an oral fibrosarcoma about 5cm on the right mandible. We did a CT scan and it has multiple nodules on both lungs. Is it pointless to have her undergo a partial mandibulectomy? The other option is to remove the oral tumor every time it reappears up until the dog can't take it anymore?

Hello!  Im afraid that there may be a reason that you have asked me this question, instead of the vet who has diagnosed the problem / run biopsies etc.  I don't know what that reason is, but hopefully you have asked them, too.  It is my routine to point out that your vet can see the patient; they know how well they are.  They can see the extent of the problem.  They will have by far the better idea, what your dog is in a position to take.  My second caveat is, that just because you 'can' do something, doesn't make it the right thing to do.  So it my be that even a dog with chest mets CAN go through an operation to remove a large section of the mandible.  Questions to consider would be, What are the advantages - what would be gained - from doing this?  Vs What are the known costs?  Pain?  Surgery?  Money?  What are the possible additional costs (rough likelihood of not getting through the surgery)?   What is the likely outcome of doing the surgery vs not, for the individual animal in front of you?  - can a lab pathologist give you more information about this?   Sonetimes the odds are so loaded that a vet will heavily encourage or discourage surgery.  Other times there is a real value judgement to be made.  I have a gut feeling, but my feelings arent relevant here.

Wishing you both the very best at this difficult time.