Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chronic gut disease found to have lung cancer spreading
By Bandara, Yuvani et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Colorado State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Disseminated primary pulmonary carcinoma presenting as a chronic enteropathy in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old male mixed-breed dog had been suffering from ongoing gastrointestinal issues for four months that didn't respond to regular treatments. After tests ruled out other illnesses, a biopsy revealed he had a type of cancer in his intestines. Unfortunately, his condition worsened, leading to fluid buildup in his abdomen and signs of lung cancer. Sadly, the dog was humanely euthanized two days later, and further examination confirmed the cancer had spread from his lungs to his intestines.
People also search for: dog gastrointestinal issues · dog cancer symptoms · mixed-breed dog enteropathy treatment
Abstract
A 10-year-old, male castrated, mixed-breed dog presented with a four-month history of enteropathy unresponsive to standard treatment. Initial bloodwork ruled out non-gastrointestinal illness and abdominal ultrasound revealed stratified segmental small intestinal muscularis thickening. Gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy identified duodenal carcinoma with lymphatic infiltration. Due to the absence of an identified gross lesion, nascent primary duodenal carcinoma was suspected. The dog presented 29 days later for acute worsening of signs, development of neoplastic peritoneal effusion, and protein-losing enteropathy. Thoracic radiographs identified pulmonary nodules consistent with carcinoma on cytology. Humane euthanasia was elected 2 days later with necropsy identifying disseminated neoplastic emboli and marked lipogranulomatous lymphangitis. Strong positive nuclear labelling for thyroid transcription factor-1 of the pulmonary neoplasm and neoplastic cells within the small intestinal lymphatics of the original biopsy were consistent with disseminated primary pulmonary carcinoma (PPC). This is the first report describing disseminated PPC presenting primarily with gastrointestinal signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41695211/