Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with shifting leg lameness caused by lung cancer spread to toes
By Iqbal, Mohammad M et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2024·Department of Small Animal Clinical Practice (Snead, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline lung-digit syndrome: A differential diagnosis for shifting, waxing and waning lameness in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old cat was brought in for a strange pattern of lameness that seemed to come and go, affecting different legs. The vet suspected this could be a sign of a serious issue, like lung cancer spreading to the toes, even though initial tests weren't conclusive. Unfortunately, the cat's condition worsened quickly, and further tests confirmed that it had lung cancer that had spread to multiple areas of the body. This case emphasizes the importance of considering lung-related issues when a cat shows unusual lameness, especially in older pets.
People also search for: cat lameness causes · lung cancer in cats symptoms · shifting leg pain in older cats
Abstract
The clinical presentation, cytologic findings, radiographic findings, and postmortem assessment of a cat with primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma with multiple digital metastasis are described. An unusual shifting, waxing and waning pattern of lameness, suspected to be an early manifestation of digital metastasis before any gross lesions were visible, was documented. Initial cytologic finding of a lung nodule was equivocal for diagnosis of neoplasia despite being strongly suspicious. Palliative management was short-lived, with rapid progression culminating in widespread metastasis to multiple digits, muscles, and other organs. The diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma was confirmednecropsy and histopathology. Key clinical message: This case report highlights that feline lung-digit syndrome is an important differential diagnosis for an acute, waxing and waning, shifting leg lameness in an older cat. This pattern of lameness should raise the index of suspicion for an underlying primary lung neoplasm, and thoracic imaging (radiographs) should be considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38952750/