Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog develops fat necrosis mimicking tumor after radiation therapy
By Looper, Jayme S·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2007·Department of Radiation Oncology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fat necrosis simulating recurrent neoplasia following external beam radiotherapy in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4.5-year-old neutered male dog with a history of lymphangiosarcoma (a type of cancer) developed a mass in the same area after receiving radiation therapy. Initially thought to be a recurring tumor, a biopsy revealed that the mass was actually fat necrosis, a rare condition that can occur after radiation treatment. The dog had responded well to the initial radiation and had minimal side effects, but when the mass appeared, the vet decided to surgically remove it. After surgery, the dog was diagnosed with fat necrosis and showed no signs of cancer recurrence.
People also search for: dog lump after radiation · fat necrosis in dogs · lymphangiosarcoma treatment in dogs · dog cancer surgery recovery
Abstract
A 4.5-year-old neutered male dog was diagnosed with incompletely excised well-differentiated lymphangiosarcoma in the right inguinal subcutaneous region. The mass had metastasized to the right hypogastric and medial iliac lymph nodes. Surgery followed by definitive radiation therapy was administered to the primary site and the sites of metastasis. The dog had a complete response to radiotherapy, and minimal acute side effects. Doxorubicin was administered after radiotherapy. Approximately 4 months following radiation therapy, the dog developed a mass, presumed recurrent tumor, in the original site. In a biopsy only steatitis and fibrosis were found. The mass continued to grow and conservative surgical excision was elected. Histopathologically the diagnosis was fat necrosis and steatitis, with a microscopic focus of lymphangiosarcoma. Fat necrosis is an uncommon sequelum to breast irradiation in people and also appears to be rare in animals. Fat necrosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis when recurrent tumor is suspected in a previously irradiated subcutaneous site in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17236366/