Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with large spinal B-cell lymphoma causing paralysis
By Flatland, Bente et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2008·Department of Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Large anaplastic spinal B-cell lymphoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female domestic shorthair cat was brought in because she was having trouble moving her legs (tetraparesis). The vet found a mass in her left armpit and determined it was likely a type of cancer called B-cell lymphoma, which was affecting her spinal cord and causing severe neurological issues. Unfortunately, due to the poor prognosis and the progression of her symptoms, the decision was made to euthanize her. A postmortem exam confirmed the presence of cancerous cells compressing her spinal cord and spreading to other areas.
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Abstract
A 5-year-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was presented for evaluation of tetraparesis. The neurologic lesion was localized to the cervical spinal segment (C1-C6). A left axillary mass was identified, and the results of fine needle aspiration cytology indicated malignant round cell neoplasia of possible histiocytic origin. The cells were large, had marked anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, occasional bi- and multinucleation, and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Euthanasia was performed due to the poor prognosis associated with severe, progressive neurologic signs and a malignant neoplasm. Postmortem examination revealed spinal cord compression and an extradural mass at the C1-C2 spinal segment, with neoplastic cells in the adjacent vertebral bodies, surrounding skeletal muscle, left axillary lymph node, and bone marrow from the right femur. The initial histologic diagnosis was anaplastic sarcoma, but immunohistochemical results indicated the cells were CD20+ and CD45R+ and CD3-, compatible with a diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma. CD79a staining was nonspecific and uninterpretable. Weak to moderate CD18 positivity and E-cadherin positivity were also observed. Clonality of the B-cell population could not be demonstrated using PCR testing for antigen receptor gene rearrangement. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a feline spinal anaplastic B-cell lymphoma exhibiting bi- and multinucleated cells. The prognostic significance of this cell morphology and immunophenotype is unknown.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19055573/