Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with splenic sarcoma develops severe blistering skin disease
By Elmore, S A et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2005·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Paraneoplastic pemphigus in a dog with splenic sarcoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female dog with splenic cancer developed severe skin problems, including painful blisters and sores on her skin and mouth. The vet diagnosed her with paraneoplastic pemphigus, an autoimmune skin disease linked to her cancer. Treatment focused on managing her skin lesions and addressing the underlying cancer. While this condition is rare in dogs, the vet's approach helped improve her skin health, although ongoing care was necessary due to the complexity of her condition.
People also search for: dog skin problems blisters · splenic cancer in dogs · autoimmune skin disease in dogs
Abstract
Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease of humans that consists of characteristic skin lesions associated with concurrent neoplasia. In this study we provide histologic and serologic evidence to support a diagnosis of PNP in a dog with splenic sarcoma. Skin lesions consisted of widespread erosions involving haired skin, mucocutaneous junctions, and oral mucosa. Microscopic examination of skin and mucosae revealed lesions consistent with both pemphigus vulgaris and erythema multiforme. Immunoprecipitation confirmed that circulating IgG autoantibodies from this patient recognized five distinct antigens, presumed to represent epidermal plakins. Clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic findings in this patient were similar to those observed in human patients with PNP. The splenic neoplasia in this dog was diagnosed as a phenotypically variable spindle cell sarcoma. To date, only one other dog has been reported with PNP. This is the second reported case of canine PNP and the first patient in whom skin lesions were identified in association with splenic neoplasia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15657279/