Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with low blood sugar caused by big insulin-like growth factor 2
By Noguchi, Syunya et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2020·Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Big Insulin-like Growth Factor 2-Producing Tumor in a Hypoglycemic Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female Papillon was brought in for a hypoglycemic attack, which means her blood sugar was dangerously low. Tests showed she had multiple tumors in her lungs, which were surgically removed and identified as a type of cancer called pulmonary adenocarcinoma. After the surgery, her blood sugar levels improved temporarily, but she experienced another hypoglycemic episode two months later. The tumors were producing a substance called insulin-like growth factor 2, which contributed to her low blood sugar. This case highlights the importance of recognizing tumors that can cause low blood sugar in dogs.
People also search for: dog hypoglycemia causes · Papillon lung tumor treatment · insulin-like growth factor in dogs
Abstract
A 10-year-old female Papillon dog that had previously developed a mammary tumor was admitted for treatment of a hypoglycemic attack. Blood examination showed severe hypoglycemia and decreased blood insulin concentration. Computed tomography indicated multiple tumors in the cranial and caudal lobes of the right lung. These tumors were resected surgically and diagnosed as pulmonary adenocarcinomas by histopathologic examination. Hypoglycemia was temporarily improved after the resection, but a hypoglycemic event occurred 2 months after the surgery. Immunohistochemistry of the tumor demonstrated the expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 in tumor cells. Western blot analysis revealed the expression of high-molecular-weight (big)-insulin-like growth factor 2 in the tumor region. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA expression was also confirmed in the tumor using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. These findings indicate the diagnosis of non-islet cell tumor-induced hypoglycemia caused by big-insulin-like growth factor 2 produced by the tumor in the dog. This report provides information on differentiating tumors that cause paraneoplastic hypoglycemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32148182/