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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Oral papillary squamous cell cancer with lymph node spread in a dog

By Ito, Hidetoshi et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2025·Hazuki Animal Hospital, Japan·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Canine oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma with lymph node metastasis in a dog.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 6-month-old male Labrador retriever was brought in with a noticeable growth in his mouth, specifically a mass between his teeth. After tests, it was confirmed to be a rare type of oral cancer that had spread to a lymph node. The vet surgically removed the affected lymph node and treated the dog with chemotherapy afterward. Fortunately, more than three years later, there were no signs of the cancer returning or spreading further, indicating a good recovery.

People also search for: dog mouth tumor · Labrador oral cancer treatment · dog lymph node cancer prognosis

Abstract

Canine oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma is a rare subtype of squamous cell carcinoma with low metastatic potential. This report describes a 6-month-old intact male Labrador retriever dog with a 2.2 × 2.1-centimeter intraoral mass located in the gingiva between the 1st and 2nd right mandibular premolars. Computed tomography revealed an exophytic mass infiltrating the mandible and right mandibular gingiva without evidence of regional lymph node enlargement or distant metastasis. Histopathological evaluation confirmed canine oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma with metastasis to the right mandibular lymph node (surgically removed) and carboplatin was administered postoperatively. At 1404 d post-surgery, no local recurrence or distant metastasis were observed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of canine oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma metastasizing to the lymph nodes. The dog was treated with chemotherapy after surgery and had a good long-term prognosis. Key clinical message: Canine oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma has not been reported to metastasize and is usually treated locally with surgery or radiation therapy. However, as in the case reported herein, metastasis to the lymph nodes may occur. In such cases, accurate evaluation of metastasis, including lymph node excision biopsy, and chemotherapy may need to be considered.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41030429/