Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline pancreatic lipase test accuracy in cat pancreatic diseases
By Törner, K et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2020·LABOKLIN GmbH & Co. KG, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Histopathology and Feline Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity in Inflammatory, Hyperplastic and Neoplastic Pancreatic Diseases in Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with various pancreatic issues, including pancreatitis and tumors, were tested for a specific enzyme (feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity or fPLI) to help diagnose their conditions. The study found that cats with mild to severe pancreatitis had higher fPLI levels, while some cats with pancreatic tumors had normal fPLI values, likely due to inflammation. This means that while elevated fPLI can indicate pancreatitis, it may not always be reliable for diagnosing pancreatic tumors. Understanding these results can help veterinarians better interpret test results and symptoms in cats with pancreatic diseases.
People also search for: cat pancreatitis symptoms · elevated fPLI in cats · pancreatic tumors in cats · cat pancreatic disease treatment
Abstract
The most common pancreatic diseases in cats are pancreatitis and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Non-invasive methods, such as serological quantification of feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (fPLI), are often used in the diagnosis of pancreatitis. Previous studies have compared fPLI concentrations with histopathology, considered to be the gold standard for diagnosis of feline pancreatitis. However, fPLI concentrations in cats suffering from pancreatic tumours were rarely described. The aim of the present study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of fPLI in serum samples based on histopathological findings in cats diagnosed with various pancreatic diseases. Pancreatic biopsy samples from 80 cats were included. Five groups were defined on the basis of pancreatic histopathology: group 1, normal pancreas; group 2, nodular hyperplasia; group 3, mild pancreatitis; group 4, marked (moderate/severe) pancreatitis; and group 5, pancreatic neoplasia. Serum samples from all cats were tested by fPLI ELISA (<3.6 μg/l normal, 3.6-5.3 μg/l questionable, >5.3 μg/l pancreatitis). In group 1 (n = 19), serum fPLI values were within the reference interval in 74% of cases and in group 2 (n = 9) in 78%. Cats with mild pancreatitis (n = 23), marked pancreatitis (n = 11) and pancreatic neoplasms (n = 18) had significantly increased fPLI concentrations compared with group 1 (P = 0.004/0.001/≤0.0001). Cats with nodular hyperplasia had significantly lower fPLI values than cats with marked pancreatitis (P = 0.048) or tumours (P = 0.002). Serum fPLI concentrations in group 3 were <3.6 μg/l (n = 6), 3.6-5.3 μg/l (n = 4) and >5.3 μg/l (n = 13). Calculated test sensitivity for mild pancreatitis was fPLI >3.5 μg/l: 73.9% and fPLI >5.3 μg/l: 56.5%. In group 4 (n = 11), seven of nine cats (77.8%) with marked purulent pancreatitis had elevated fPLI. In group 4, a sensitivity of 81.8% was detected for fPLI >3.5 μg/l and 63.6% for fPLI >5.3 μg/l. Two cats with marked non-purulent pancreatitis had elevated fPLI, while two cats with marked purulent pancreatitis had normal fPLI values (<3.6 μg/l). In group 5, one cat with pancreatic adenoma and one with pancreatic acinar carcinoma had normal fPLI concentrations. The other cats with pancreatic adenoma (solid, n = 1; cystic, n = 4) or carcinoma (solid, n = 9; cystic, n = 2) had elevated or high fPLI values (4.1 to >40 μg/l, median 21.2 μg/l), probably caused by additional inflammation. The results of the present study confirm the importance of detailed histopathological characterization for the interpretation of clinical signs and fPLI values in feline pancreatitis. Primary pancreatic neoplasms may also lead to elevated fPLI concentrations as there is concurrent pancreatitis in most cases. However, severe pancreatic diseases, such as chronic non-purulent pancreatitis or tumours without inflammation, may result in normal fPLI values.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31955805/