Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nonsecretory multiple myeloma causing bone lesions in a Chihuahua
By Marks, S L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1995·Department of Molecular Biosciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nonsecretory multiple myeloma in a dog: immunohistologic and ultrastructural observations.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female spayed Chihuahua was diagnosed with nonsecretory multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects plasma cells in the bone marrow. The dog showed signs of multiple bone lesions and neurological issues, but treatment with prednisone, a steroid, did not help her condition. Unfortunately, she was euthanized two weeks after her diagnosis due to worsening symptoms. The tests showed that the tumor cells did not react to common markers for certain immune cells, indicating a unique form of the disease.
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Abstract
A 12-year-old, female spayed Chihuahua was diagnosed with nonsecretory multiple myeloma on the basis of multiple osteolytic lesions, histological evidence of plasma cell infiltrate on a bone biopsy, and absence of a monoclonal protein on serum and urine electrophoresis. A 6-week course of prednisone therapy resulted in no clinical improvement and the dog was euthanized 2 weeks after presentation because of progressive neurological impairment. Bone marrow specimens were processed and stained for ultrastructural and immunohistologic evaluation. Staining with antisera to immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, and IgA was negative. Tumor cells in both the pelvic and rib masses displayed prominent reactivity with an antibody specific for a canine beta 1 integrin similar to VLA-4; however, the tumor cells failed to stain with antibodies known to react predominantly with antigens on B-lymphocytes (major histocompatibility complex class II, CD45RA, and CD21) or T-lymphocytes (Thy-1). The tumor cells also failed to stain with an antibody specific for the beta-subunit (CD18) of the leukocyte integrins (D11/CD18). Ultrastructural studies performed on bone marrow specimens revealed a pleomorphic population of plasma cells with moderate amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum, erythrophagocytosis, and lack of crystalline inclusions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7891363/