Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with rare adrenal gland tumor causing abdominal pain and fever
By Ecaterina Semzenisi et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2026·Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Adrenal gland adenoma with myelolipoma in a canine patient: a rare case report and diagnostic insights
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male Pekingese was brought to the vet with sudden abdominal pain and fever. Tests showed a mass on his right adrenal gland, which is a rare type of tumor. The dog underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and the results confirmed it was a benign growth with some unusual tissue types. After the surgery, the dog recovered well, and a follow-up a year later showed no signs of the tumor returning.
People also search for: dog abdominal pain · Pekingese adrenal tumor treatment · dog adrenal gland surgery recovery
Abstract
Adrenal gland tumors are uncommon in dogs, and the simultaneous presence of epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasms within a single adrenal gland is exceptionally rare. We describe a rare case of an adrenocortical adenoma associated with a myelolipoma in a 7-year-old male Pekingese dog presented with acute abdominal pain and fever. Diagnostic imaging identified a well-defined mass in the right adrenal gland, with no evidence of vascular invasion or metastatic disease. Surgical adrenalectomy was subsequently performed. Histopathological evaluation revealed a well-circumscribed adrenocortical adenoma containing an intratumoral myelolipomatous component composed of mature adipose tissue and trilineage hematopoietic elements. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated Melan A positivity in the adenomatous component, while the myelolipomatous tissue showed diffuse vimentin expression and lacked Melan A immunoreactivity. The postoperative course was uneventful, and no recurrence was detected at one-year follow-up. This case underscores the diagnostic complexity of heterogeneous adrenal masses in dogs and highlights the essential role of histopathology and immunohistochemistry in the accurate identification of rare mixed adrenal lesions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1780830