Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
What it means if a dog has both spleen and liver masses
By Leyva, Fernando J et al.·Published in BMC research notes·2018·Department of Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Histopathologic characteristics of biopsies from dogs undergoing surgery with concurrent gross splenic and hepatic masses: 125 cases (2012-2016).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 125 dogs undergoing surgery for both splenic and liver masses were examined to see if the growths were cancerous. Surprisingly, about 27% of these dogs had benign (non-cancerous) masses in both the spleen and liver, which means they had a good chance of recovery. However, nearly half of the dogs had cancer in both organs, with many having the same type of cancer in each. For the dogs with benign lesions, the prognosis was favorable, suggesting they could recover well after surgery.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the histopathologic characteristics of concurrent splenic and liver masses in dogs undergoing splenectomy and liver mass biopsy/resection. Medical records of 125 client-owned dogs found to have splenic mass or masses and a liver mass or masses during surgery were examined. Signalment (age, sex, breed), body weight, and results of histopathology were recorded for all dogs. RESULTS: Twenty-seven percent (34/125) of the dogs in this study had no evidence of malignancy in either the liver or the spleen. Sixty of 125 dogs (48.0%) had malignancy in the spleen and liver, and 56 (56/60, 93.3%) of those dogs had the same malignancy in both organs. Signalment was similar to that in other reports of splenic pathology. In this clinical population of dogs, 27% of dogs with concurrent gross splenic and liver masses discovered intraoperatively had benign lesions in both locations and therefore had a favorable prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29433531/