Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with rare liver cancer tumor near bile duct
By Saito, Eren et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case of ectopic hepatocellular carcinoma around the common bile duct in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old neutered male pug was diagnosed with a tumor near his liver after an ultrasound showed a red, multinodular mass. The mass was not connected to the liver and measured about 3 cm in size. A biopsy confirmed it was a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, which can occur in abnormal liver tissue. This case highlights that ectopic liver tissue can develop tumors in dogs. Unfortunately, the outcome for this dog isn't mentioned, so it's unclear how he responded to treatment.
People also search for: pug liver cancer symptoms · dog tumor near liver treatment · gallstones in dogs · what is hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
A 10-year-old, male neutered pug dog with a history of gallstones was found to have a mass near the caudate lobe of the liver upon ultrasound examination. The mass was red to dark red, multinodular, measuring 3 × 3 × 4 cm and not continuous to the liver. Histopathological examination revealed sheet-like proliferation of polygonal neoplastic cells resembling hepatocytes with mild atypia, and no portal areas were observed. The tumor cells were positive for HepPar-1 and negative for cytokeratin 7. The macrophages decreased in neoplastic lesion compared to normal area. Based on these findings, this case was diagnosed as a hepatocellular carcinoma of ectopic liver origin. This is the second reported case showing the potential for ectopic liver to develop into tumors in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40268426/