Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Flow cytometry helps diagnose mediastinal masses in dogs
By Lana, Susan et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis of mediastinal masses in dogs by flow cytometry.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with masses in their chest area underwent testing to determine if they had lymphoma or thymoma, two types of tumors. Researchers used a method called flow cytometry to analyze samples from these masses, which helped them identify the type of cells present. The results showed that flow cytometry could accurately distinguish between the two conditions without needing a more invasive biopsy. This method was successful in all cases tested, providing a quicker and less invasive way to diagnose these serious conditions.
People also search for: dog chest mass diagnosis · lymphoma vs thymoma in dogs · flow cytometry for dog tumors
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Biopsy of mediastinal masses can be invasive, but the procedure may be necessary if cytology of a mass aspirate is inconclusive. The 2 most common mediastinal masses, lymphoma and thymoma, may both be comprised of small lymphocytes. We investigated the ability of flow cytometry to distinguish between these 2 neoplasms. HYPOTHESIS: Flow cytometry of mediastinal mass aspirates may provide a definitive diagnosis of thymoma or lymphoma, reducing the need for biopsy. ANIMALS: Dogs with mediastinal masses presenting to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital/Animal Cancer Center were included in the study. METHODS: Aspirates obtained over 2 years that met the inclusion criteria (i.e. sufficient viable cells and a definitive diagnosis by means other than flow cytometry) were analyzed by flow cytometry to determine the percentage of cells expressing B- and T-cell markers, and co-expressing CD4 and CD8. RESULTS: All cases of thymoma (n = 6) consisted of > or = 10% lymphocytes coexpressing CD4 and CD8, a phenotype that is characteristic of thymocytes, whereas 6 of 7 lymphomas contained <2% CD4+CD8+ lymphocytes. The CD4+CD8+ lymphoma could be readily distinguished flow cytometrically from thymoma by light scatter properties. The phenotypes of the remaining lymphomas were CD4+ T cell (4), CD34+ (1) and B cell (1). CONCLUSIONS: Our studies demonstrate that flow cytometry is a useful tool for discriminating mediastinal masses. Lymphocyte-rich mediastinal masses could be unambiguously identified by flow cytometry in 13/13 cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17063710/