Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart tumor with unusual cartilage growth in an 11-year-old French
By Morita, Chiaki et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2020·Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: An aortic body carcinoma with sarcomatoid morphology and chondroid metaplasia in a French Bulldog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old female French Bulldog was brought to the vet after a mass was found at the base of her heart during X-rays and an ultrasound. She also had fluid buildup in her abdomen, which is known as ascites. The vet tried radiation therapy for five weeks, but unfortunately, the mass did not shrink, and her condition worsened. Sadly, she passed away six months later, and a necropsy revealed that the mass was a type of cancer called aortic body carcinoma.
People also search for: French Bulldog heart mass · dog ascites treatment · aortic body carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
An 11-year-old female French Bulldog was presented with a mass at the base of the heart, detected by X-ray and echocardiography. Clinical abnormality included abdominal retention by ascites. Radiation therapy was performed for 5 weeks. The mass volume didn't change during the radiotherapy. The condition became worse and the dog died 6 months after the initial presentation and necropsy was performed. Grossly, the mass, 12.5 × 6.5 × 6.0 cm in size, was found at the base of the heart. Histopathological examination revealed that cardiac mass was composed of alveolar, bundle and diffuse proliferation of neoplastic cells. Most of the neoplastic cells showed a spindle morphology; in some areas small round or polyhedral neoplastic cells were observed. Occasional cartilage metaplasia was seen multifocal in the mass, and it was surrounded by the sarcomatoid proliferation. Electron microscopy revealed a few neuroendocrine granules in the cytoplasm of spindle and polyhedral neoplastic cells. Metastatic cells in the lungs which had not irradiated demonstrated typical morphology of aortic body tumors. Based on these findings, the case was diagnosed as an aortic body carcinoma with sarcomatoid morphology and chondroid metaplasia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32161252/