Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with liver lymphoma causing digestive signs and liver changes
By Bilhalva, Lina C et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2026·Department of Comparative Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cytologic, Histologic, and Ultrasonographic Features of Hepatic Intravascular Lymphoma in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old neutered male Mastiff cross was brought to the vet for gastrointestinal issues and elevated liver enzymes. An ultrasound showed an enlarged liver with abnormal areas and potential blood clots in the liver veins. Tests on liver samples suggested a type of cancer called large T-cell intravascular lymphoma, which is rare and aggressive. The diagnosis was confirmed after a larger surgical biopsy was performed. Unfortunately, this type of lymphoma is serious, and treatment options may be limited, so discussing a care plan with your veterinarian is essential.
People also search for: dog liver cancer symptoms · Mastiff lymphoma treatment · elevated liver enzymes in dogs
Abstract
A 6 year-old neutered male Mastiff cross dog was evaluated for gastrointestinal signs and increased liver enzyme activities. Ultrasonography revealed hepatomegaly with a heterogeneous parenchyma, hypoechoic regions, and echogenic material in hepatic veins, suggestive of thrombi. Fine-needle aspiration and core needle biopsies were obtained from the liver for cytologic and histopathologic evaluation. Cytology revealed a population of poorly cohesive, atypical round cells, raising suspicion for lymphoma or a primitive/blastemal neoplasm. Initial histopathology was inconclusive, but a subsequent surgical biopsy revealed a population of individualized round cells confined within the lumens of hepatic vessels. Using immunohistochemistry, a neoplastic population of CD3-immunoreactive lymphocytes lacking Pax5 immunoreactivity was identified, confirming the diagnosis of large T-cell intravascular lymphoma (IVL). This is considered a rare and aggressive lymphoma characterized by a solely intravascular proliferation of neoplastic lymphocytes. Despite initial core needle histopathologic evaluation, a definitive diagnosis was only achieved after evaluating a larger surgical biopsy. This is also the first report to describe the ultrasonographic appearance of hepatic IVL in dogs. This report adds to the limited veterinary literature on IVL and underscores the importance of obtaining representative samples for a reliable histopathologic diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41732135/