Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Malignant pilomatricoma tumor with spread in an 11-year-old German
By da Silva, E O et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2012·Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Malignant pilomatricoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old female German shepherd was brought in for lameness and pain in her left front leg. During the exam, the vet found that she was also having trouble with her back legs and noticed a lump near her shoulder. X-rays showed that the cancer had spread to her bones, lungs, and abdomen. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was malignant pilomatricoma, a rare type of tumor in dogs that can spread to other organs. Sadly, due to the advanced stage of the disease, treatment options were limited, and the prognosis was poor.
People also search for: dog lameness and pain · German shepherd tumor symptoms · malignant pilomatricoma in dogs
Abstract
An 11-year-old female German shepherd dog was presented with a history of lameness and pain in the left forelimb. Clinical examination revealed ataxia of the hindlimbs and a subcutaneous mass in the left prescapular region. Radiography revealed metastatic foci in the left humerus, lung and abdomen. Gross necropsy examination revealed a firm, white mass in the left prescapular region. Multiple nodules with similar characteristics were observed in the lung, liver and spleen. Bone lysis was noted in the humerus and the fifth to seventh lumbar vertebrae. Microscopical examination revealed a proliferation of basal cells forming irregular islands of various sizes and surrounding extensive zones of keratinized 'ghost' cells. A definitive diagnosis of malignant pilomatricoma was made. This is a rare tumour in dogs with no previous report of metastasis to the spleen and liver.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22520811/