Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain cancer cells in spinal fluid from mammary tumor spread
By Behling-Kelly, Erica et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2010·Department of Pathobiological Sciences, 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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Neoplastic pleocytosis in a dog with metastatic mammary carcinoma and meningeal carcinomatosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female spayed Labrador Retriever was brought in for seizures and unusual vocal sounds. About a year earlier, she had surgery to remove multiple mammary cysts, but during this visit, a new mammary mass was found, along with two brain lesions seen on imaging. Tests on her cerebrospinal fluid showed abnormal cells that matched the cancerous cells from her mammary tumor. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized, and it was confirmed that she had advanced mammary cancer that had spread to her brain and surrounding tissues.
People also search for: dog seizures · Labrador Retriever cancer symptoms · mammary tumor treatment in dogs
Abstract
A 12-year-old female spayed Labrador Retriever was presented with a history of seizures and abnormal vocalization. Approximately 1 year before presentation, multiple mammary cysts had been surgically excised. A mammary mass was noted on physical examination, and 2 separate parenchymal brain lesions were found on imaging studies. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from the cisterna magna was analyzed, and abnormalities included moderate pleocytosis with atypical discrete round cells that occasionally formed loose clusters. The dog was euthanized, and on necropsy a primary solid mammary carcinoma was identified as well as multiple metastatic foci in the brain with diffuse meningeal involvement. The cells in the CSF had a morphologic appearance similar to the cells in the primary mammary tumor and in the metastatic tumors in the brain. On immunostaining, cells from the primary mammary tumor, the brain tumors, and the CSF expressed cytokeratin. The CSF cells did not express CD18, CD3, or CD79a. A final diagnosis of mammary carcinoma with brain metastasis and meningeal carcinomatosis was made.
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/20070645/