Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with mammary cancer spreading to lymph nodes and joints
By McCourt, Maggie R et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2018·Department of Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Complex mammary carcinoma with metastases to lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue, and multiple joints in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in because she was limping and had swelling in multiple joints. The vet found fluid buildup in her elbow, hock, and knee joints, along with enlarged lymph nodes and masses on her left side. Tests showed that these masses were cancerous, specifically a complex mammary carcinoma that had spread to her lymph nodes and joints. Unfortunately, the dog was humanely euthanized due to the severity of her condition. This case highlights how mammary cancer can spread to unusual areas like joints in dogs.
People also search for: dog limping and swollen joints · mixed-breed dog cancer symptoms · mammary tumor treatment in dogs
Abstract
An 8-year-old, intact female, mixed-breed dog presented to the Oklahoma State University Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for evaluation of progressive lameness and joint effusion of multiple joints. Physical examination revealed joint effusion of the elbow, hock, and stifle joints bilaterally, enlarged left axillary and right popliteal lymph nodes, a subcutaneous mass over the left elbow, and a subcutaneous mass involving the left second and third mammary glands. Cytologic examination of the mammary mass, enlarged lymph nodes, and joint fluid from most affected joints revealed a monomorphic population of loosely cohesive neoplastic epithelial cells. The patient was humanely euthanized, and subsequent necropsy with histopathologic examination revealed a complex mammary carcinoma with metastases to enlarged lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue over the left elbow, and the synovium of multiple joints. Immunohistochemical stains were performed and showed diffusely positive pan cytokeratin, CK8/18, and CK19 staining in the neoplastic luminal epithelial cells of the mammary carcinoma, synovium, and lymph nodes, and showed diffusely positive vimentin staining of the myoepithelial cells. Myoepithelial calponin positivity was diffuse in the mammary mass and lymph nodes but minimal in the synovium. Only the mammary mass showed p63 positivity. Metastatic mammary neoplasia is relatively common in dogs; however, metastasis to the synovium has only been reported once previously in the literature. This is the first case utilizing immunohistochemistry for confirmation and characterization of metastases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29733437/