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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cat with unusual flower-shaped cells in skin lump biopsy

By Fritz, D et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2005·Companion Animal Laboratory, France·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Multilobulated "flower" cells in a subcutaneous mass aspirate from a cat.

Species:
cat
LymphomaBreathing & coughCats

Plain-English summary

An 8-year-old male cat was brought to the vet because of a lump near his neck. Tests showed that the lump contained unusual cells with a flower-like appearance, which were identified as lymphoma (a type of cancer) originating from B-cells. This type of cancer can be tricky to diagnose, as these specific cells are rarely seen in cats and dogs without special testing. The cat's treatment plan would likely involve chemotherapy, which is common for lymphoma cases.

People also search for: cat lump near neck · cat lymphoma treatment · what are flower cells in cats

Abstract

An 8-year-old intact male cat was presented with a subcutaneous mass in the region of the right jugular vein. Cytologic and histopathologic examinations revealed cells with multilobulated nuclei (flower cells). Immunochemistry using a panel of markers showed vimentin-positivity on cytologic specimens, and postive staining for CD79a and BLA36 on histologic specimens. The final diagnosis was lymphoma of B-cell origin. We have observed similar multilobulated cells in ascites fluid, thoracic fluid, and peripheral blood from dogs and cats with a variety of lymphoid and myeloid neoplasms. Cells with multilobulated nuclei that resemble flower petals also have been described in humans. These cells are infrequently observed in canine and feline cytology specimens and require immunochemistry to determine their cell of origin.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16270275/