Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with kidney cancer causing high blood calcium levels
By Merrick, Christine H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2013·VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypercalcemia of malignancy associated with renal cell carcinoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old male Siberian husky was brought to the vet because he was drinking a lot and urinating frequently, and he had a mass near his kidneys. Blood tests showed very high calcium levels, which suggested a serious issue related to cancer. After further tests, the vet suspected kidney cancer and performed surgery to remove the affected kidney and bladder. Just five days after the surgery, the dog's calcium levels returned to normal, and he was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma.
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Abstract
A 10 yr old castrated male Siberian husky was evaluated for polyuria, polydipsia, a retroperitoneal mass, and urolithiasis. A marked elevation in Ca was noted on initial blood work, and results of additional testing were consistent with hypercalcemia of malignancy, including an elevated parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrp) value. Based on clinical signs, blood work, diagnostic imaging, and cytology results, unilateral renal neoplasia was suspected. Following a complete right nephrectomy and cystotomy, histopathologic examination confirmed a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Five days postoperatively, the hypercalcemia had nearly resolved and the PTHrp was zero. This is the first reported case of hypercalcemia of malignancy associated with RCC in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23861266/