Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mastocytaemia in cats with mast cell tumors and how to detect it
By Skeldon, Nicola C A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2010·Axiom Veterinary Laboratories Ltd, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mastocytaemia in cats: prevalence, detection and quantification methods, haematological associations and potential implications in 30 cats with mast cell tumours.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 30 cats with mast cell tumors was studied to understand mastocytaemia, a condition where there are too many mast cells in the blood. This condition was found in 43% of the cats with tumors but was absent in healthy cats. The best way to detect mastocytaemia was through a special blood test called buffy coat examination, which is more effective than looking at blood samples directly. Cats with mastocytaemia had lower red blood cell counts but could still live for a long time, even without surgery to remove the spleen.
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Abstract
The significance of mastocytaemia in cats is different from that in dogs because it appears exclusively associated with mast cell neoplasia. The prevalence of mastocytaemia was 0.05% of all feline submissions to a private laboratory and 43% in cats with mast cell neoplasia. None of 30 healthy cats had mastocytaemia. There was no sex bias or significant age difference between mastocytaemic and non-mastocytaemic cats with mast cell tumours (MCT). Buffy coat (BC) examination was the best screening method for detection of mastocytaemia but direct blood film examination was more accurate for quantifying degree of mastocytaemia. BC examination should be performed in all cases of suspected/known mast cell neoplasia as mastocytaemia was missed on nearly 30% of occasions when direct film examination only was used. Mastocytaemia was associated with decreased haematocrit (HCT) but not with other haematological parameters. Mastocytaemic cats can survive significant lengths of time (up to 27 months) even when splenectomy is not performed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21050784/