Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Addison's Disease Secondary to Bilateral Adrenal Gland Metastatic Mammary Carcinoma in a Dog.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Merino-Gutierrez, Virginia et al.
- Affiliation:
- From Ars Veterinary Hospital · Spain
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female Siberian husky was brought to the vet after showing signs of increasing weakness, difficulty using her back legs, eating less than usual, and panting for the past two weeks. She had recently had surgery to remove a tumor from her right mammary gland. While in the hospital, tests showed she had Addison's disease, which is a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough hormones, likely due to cancer spreading from her mammary tumor. Unfortunately, despite treatment, her condition worsened, and she passed away four days later. A postmortem exam revealed that the cancer had spread to her adrenal glands and other areas, confirming that her Addison's disease was caused by the metastatic cancer.
Abstract
A 12 yr old intact female Siberian husky was referred with a 2 wk history of progressive weakness, paraparesis, anorexia, and panting. A 4 cm diameter grade 3 mammary solid carcinoma involving the fifth right mammary gland had been removed 2 days prior to the current visit. While hospitalized, the dog was diagnosed with Addison's disease based on electrolyte disturbances and low serum cortisol levels following adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. An abdominal ultrasound revealed adrenal glands at the upper limit of normal size. Despite treatment, the dog deteriorated and died 4 days after presentation. A postmortem examination revealed a neoplastic infiltrate of epithelial malignant cells in both adrenal glands, popliteal lymph nodes, vertebral bodies, and paralumbar musculature, compatible with metastasis from mammary carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Addison's disease secondary to metastatic mammary carcinoma in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31961213/