Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High calcium and hormone levels in dog with thyroid and histiocytic
By Scruggs, Jennifer L et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2015·Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypercalcemia and parathyroid hormone-related peptide expression in a dog with thyroid carcinoma and histiocytic sarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9.5-year-old male Walker Hound was brought in because he was getting weaker, not eating, and losing weight. Tests showed he had several masses in his abdomen and chest, and a biopsy confirmed he had a serious cancer called histiocytic sarcoma. His blood tests indicated high calcium levels due to a hormone released by the thyroid cancer. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized, and a necropsy revealed widespread cancer, including thyroid cancer. This case highlights how thyroid cancer can lead to high calcium levels in dogs.
People also search for: dog weight loss and weakness · thyroid cancer in dogs · high calcium levels in dogs · histiocytic sarcoma treatment · dog cancer symptoms
Abstract
A 9.5-year-old, male castrated Walker Hound was presented for evaluation of progressive weakness, anorexia, and weight loss. Imaging revealed multiple abdominal and thoracic masses and ascites; fine-needle aspirates of mesenteric and splenic masses confirmed malignancy, most likely histiocytic sarcoma. Laboratory analyses revealed increased ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTH-rP) concentrations, and concurrent low-normal parathyroid hormone concentration, consistent with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Necropsy was performed after euthanasia. The dog had disseminated histiocytic sarcoma, including sarcomatosis, as well as bilateral thyroid carcinoma. PTH-rP immunostaining was positive in the thyroid carcinoma but negative in the histiocytic neoplasm. These results suggest that thyroid carcinoma-associated hypercalcemia can be caused by tumor secretion of PTH-rP.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25707928/