Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with high calcium and salivary gland cancer in jaw area
By Delgado-Bonet, Pablo et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·1Small Animal Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Paraneoplastic hypercalcemia in a canine patient with a mandibular salivary carcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male Husky was brought in with excessive thirst and urination, along with high calcium levels in his blood. A firm mass was found in his neck, and tests suggested it was a salivary carcinoma (a type of cancer). The dog underwent surgery to remove the mass, and within a day, his calcium levels returned to normal and his symptoms disappeared. This case highlights how certain cancers can cause high calcium levels in dogs and that surgery can effectively resolve the issue.
People also search for: dog high calcium symptoms · Husky salivary carcinoma treatment · dog excessive thirst and urination
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel presentation of paraneoplastic hypercalcemia caused by a canine salivary carcinoma. ANIMAL: A 6-year-old intact male Husky with hypercalcemia and a spontaneous salivary carcinoma, stage III. CLINICAL PRESENTATION, PROGRESSION, AND PROCEDURES: The dog presented with polyuria, polydipsia, and hypercalcemia. Physical examination revealed a 37 X 43-mm firm mass in the ventrolateral aspect of the right-hand side of the neck, caudal to the temporomandibular joint. Incisional biopsy was suspicious of metastatic carcinoma to the mandibular lymph node. A full-body CT scan found a large, heterogenous, contrast-enhancing mass on the right ventrolateral neck that appeared to be originating from either the mandibular lymph node or right mandibular salivary gland. Parathyroid hormone-related protein was considered within normal reference intervals, and both parathyroid glands appeared ultrasonographically normal. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The patient was treated with a marginal surgical excision of the mass, without immediate complications. Histopathology confirmed the presence of a salivary carcinoma with narrow margins of excision and invasion of the mandibular lymph node. Twenty-four hours after surgery, ionized calcium returned to normal reference values and clinical signs completely resolved. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hypercalcemia is an urgent pathology with important systemic implications requiring prompt diagnosis and intervention. In this case report, we identify the first salivary carcinoma associated with a paraneoplastic hypercalcemia, including this pathology as a new differential diagnosis. The hypercalcemia resolved with marginal surgical excision, but interestingly the parathyroid hormone-related protein was not overexpressed, meaning that this neoplasia could mediate hypercalcemia by another pathophysiological mechanism.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38663442/