Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog developed multiple skin tumors linked to papillomavirus
By Callan, Mary Beth et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2005·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Multiple papillomavirus-associated epidermal hamartomas and squamous cell carcinomas in situ in a dog following chronic treatment with prednisone and cyclosporine.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old spayed female toy fox terrier developed multiple skin growths, including benign tumors and squamous cell carcinomas (a type of skin cancer), after being treated for a blood condition with long-term use of prednisone and cyclosporine (medications that suppress the immune system). Tests showed that these skin issues were linked to a papillomavirus infection. Treatment with interferon-alpha was stopped after two weeks due to side effects like diarrhea and elevated liver enzymes. Unfortunately, the skin lesions continued to appear even after stopping the immunosuppressive medications.
People also search for: dog skin cancer treatment · papillomavirus in dogs · prednisone side effects in dogs
Abstract
A 4-year-old, spayed female toy fox terrier developed multiple epidermal hamartomas and squamous cell carcinomas in situ following chronic immunosuppressive therapy with prednisone and cyclosporine for management of an immune-mediated nonregenerative anaemia. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for papillomavirus antigen within both benign (n = 19) and malignant (n = 8) cutaneous lesions that developed during a 3-year period of observation, with positive staining most often seen in keratinocytes in the granular cell layer. Treatment of the papillomavirus infection with interferon-alpha was discontinued after 2 weeks because of diarrhoea and a further increase in liver enzymes. The cutaneous lesions of this dog persisted and new lesions developed during the year following discontinuation of both cyclosporine and prednisone. This is the first reported case of papillomavirus-associated squamous cell carcinoma in situ developing in a dog following chronic administration of cyclosporine and prednisone.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16238815/