Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anemia and low platelets in dogs with hemophagocytic histiocytic
By Moore, P F et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2006·Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine hemophagocytic histiocytic sarcoma: a proliferative disorder of CD11d+ macrophages.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs, including Bernese Mountain Dogs and Golden Retrievers, were diagnosed with a serious condition called hemophagocytic histiocytic sarcoma, which is a type of cancer affecting certain immune cells. These dogs showed symptoms like anemia, low platelet counts, and swelling of the spleen, and unfortunately, all of them either died or were euthanized within a few months of diagnosis. The disease progressed rapidly, with most dogs living an average of just over seven weeks after symptoms appeared. This condition is aggressive and can lead to severe complications in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow.
People also search for: dog cancer symptoms · Bernese Mountain Dog hemophagocytic sarcoma · Golden Retriever anemia treatment
Abstract
Histiocytic disorders of dogs include histiocytoma, localized histiocytic sarcoma (HS), disseminated HS (malignant histocytosis), and the reactive histiocytoses: cutaneous and systemic. A common element to these diseases is proliferation of dendritic cells (DC) of either Langerhans cell (epithelial DC) or interstitial DC lineage. In this report, 17 dogs with hemophagocytic HS are described. Breeds affected included Bernese Mountain Dog (6), Golden Retriever (4), Rottweiler (3), Labrador Retriever (2), a mixed-breed dog, and a Schnauzer, which were from 2.5 to 13 years old. The dogs presented with Coombs negative responsive anemia in 16/17 dogs (94%), thrombocytopenia in 15/17 dogs (88%), hypoalbuminemia in 16/17 dogs (94%), and hypocholesterolemia in 11/16 dogs (69%). All dogs died or were euthanized. The clinical course ranged from 2 to 32 weeks (mean 7.1 weeks). Diffuse splenomegaly with ill-defined masses was consistently present. Microscopic lesions were prevalent in spleen, liver, lung, and bone marrow. Metastasis occurred by insidious intravascular invasion with minimal mass formation. Histiocytes were markedly erythrophagocytic and accompanied by foci of extramedullary hemopoiesis. Cytologically, the histiocytes varied from well differentiated to atypical, with atypia more prevalent in spleen than bone marrow. These tumors arose from splenic red pulp and bone marrow macrophages, which expressed major histocompatibility complex class II and the beta2 integrin, CD11d. They had low and/or inconsistent expression of CD1 and CD11c, which are dominantly expressed by canine nonhemophagocytic HS of DC origin. Canine histiocytic proliferative diseases now encompass proliferation of all members of the myeloid histiocytic lineage: Langerhans cells, interstitial DC, and macrophages.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16966440/