Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spitz dog with anal sac tumor causing constipation and straining
By Javanbakht, Javad et al.·Published in Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine·2013·Faculty of Veterinary medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of an anal sac adenocarcinoma tumor in a Spitz dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male Spitz was brought in for straining to defecate and constipation, and a lump was found near his anus. Blood tests showed high levels of calcium and liver enzymes, which can indicate serious health issues. Further examination of the lump revealed it was an anal sac adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer affecting the glands near the anus. The dog may need surgery or other treatments to manage the cancer and improve his quality of life.
People also search for: Spitz dog anal sac tumor · dog constipation and anal mass · anal sac adenocarcinoma treatment
Abstract
A 9-year-old emasculated male Spitz with tenesmus and constipation had a subcutaneous mass at the left ventral aspect of the anus with history of polyuria and polydipsia. A complete blood cell count, serum biochemistry panel, and urinalysis (cystocentesis sample) were evaluated. Abnormalities in the serum biochemistry panel included a mildly elevated serum cholesterol concentration (7.28 mmol/L; reference interval, 2.70-5.94 mmol/L), increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity (184 U/L; reference interval, 9-90 U/L), alanine transaminase (122 U/L; reference interval, 5-60 U/L) activity and aspartate aminotransferase (80 U/L; reference interval, 5-55 U/L) activity, severe increased total calcium concentration (16.3 mg/dL; reference interval, 8.2-12.4 mg/dL or 9.3-11.4 mg/dL), and decreased total calcium concentration (3.4 mg/dL, reference interval, 2.5-5.6mg/dL). Furthermore, testing revealed an increased intact parathyroid hormone concentration (38.6 pmol/L; reference interval, 3-17 pmol/L). On cytologic and histopathologic examinations, various types of cells were observed. Most of the cells were oval to polygonal and had elliptical or elongate nuclei and a moderate amount of pale to basophilic cytoplasm. The remaining cells had round to oval nuclei and pale to basophilic cytoplasm. Cells of both types were loosely adhered to each other and were arranged in rosette-like structures. Both neoplastic cell types had fine homogenous chromatin and either a small indistinct nucleolus or no visible nucleolus. Mild anisokaryosis and anisocytosis were observed. Histologically, the mass consists of glandular structures formed by cuboidal cells admixed with bundles of spindle cells. Based on location and histologic features, the final diagnosis was adenocarcinoma of the apocrine gland of the anal sac, which should be included as a cytologic differential diagnosis when spindle cells and typical epithelial cells are observed in masses in the region of the anal sac of dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23570021/