Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with cerebellar tumor causing weakness and unsteady back legs
By Cowart, J R et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2005·Department of Veterinary Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Low-grade glial tumor with features of astroblastoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old neutered male Belgian Malinois/Great Dane mix was brought in after showing weakness and trouble with endurance for five months, followed by sudden difficulty walking with his back legs. Sadly, an autopsy revealed a tumor in his brain, specifically in the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordination. The tumor was identified as a low-grade astroblastoma, a type of brain tumor. Unfortunately, due to the advanced stage of the disease, there were no treatment options available, and the dog did not survive.
People also search for: dog brain tumor symptoms · Belgian Malinois weakness · rear leg ataxia in dogs
Abstract
A 12-year-old, neutered, male Belgian Malinois/Great Dane cross dog presented with a 5-month history of weakness and lack of endurance followed by acute onset of rear limb ataxia. At autopsy, a 9 x 16 mm, multilobular, firm, white to tan, expansile mass was found in the cerebellum. Mild dilatation of the lateral ventricles was also noted. Histologically, there was a well-demarcated glial neoplasm composed of medium-sized astrocytic elements that had homogeneous cytoplasm, sometimes with globular eosinophilic inclusions, irregular peripherally located nuclei with a single nucleolus, and short cytoplasmic processes. Prominent perivascular pseudorosettes with cellular processes in contact with blood vessels were present. Some blood vessels exhibited hyalinized walls. Mitotic figures were not observed. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin. These features are consistent with an astroblastoma. This is the first clinicopathologic correlation and detailed description of a low-grade glial tumor with features of astroblastoma in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15872386/