Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with hind-leg lameness diagnosed with cancer spread by joint
By Meinkoth, J H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1997·Department of Veterinary Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Metastatic carcinoma presenting as hind-limb lameness: diagnosis by synovial fluid cytology.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog was brought in for left hind-limb lameness and pain when the tail was touched. The vet found that the joint fluid contained cancer cells, indicating that the dog had a type of lung cancer that had spread to the joints. Unfortunately, the dog was diagnosed with widespread cancer and did not survive. This case highlights how joint pain can sometimes be a sign of serious underlying issues like cancer.
People also search for: dog limping left leg · dog joint pain cancer · signs of cancer in dogs
Abstract
A dog presented for evaluation of left hind-limb lameness and pain associated with manipulation of the tail. Synovial metastasis of a carcinoma was diagnosed by joint fluid examination. A primary bronchiolar-alveolar carcinoma with widespread (including synovial and skeletal) metastases was diagnosed on postmortem examination. Metastasis to synovial surfaces is uncommon, but when it occurs, the metastasis-induced arthritis may be the initial presenting complaint for which medical attention is sought. Although rarely reported, cytological examination of synovial fluid may be diagnostic. This paper presents an interesting clinical case and reviews the literature concerning metastatic disease of the synovium.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9204468/