Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart-base tumor causing breathing trouble in 10-year-old cat
By Paltrinieri, S et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2004·Department of Veterinary Pathology Hygiene and Health, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pathologic and immunohistochemical findings in a feline aortic body tumor.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female domestic shorthaired cat was brought in for breathing problems and fluid in her chest. An ultrasound revealed a tumor near her heart, but blood tests showed no other issues. Unfortunately, the owner chose to euthanize her, and a necropsy confirmed the tumor was a chemodectoma, which is a type of heart-base tumor. The tumor had spread into the heart muscle but had not spread to other parts of the body.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · heart tumor in cats · chemodectoma in cats · cat euthanasia decision · cat pleural effusion causes
Abstract
The presence of a heart-base tumor was diagnosed by ultrasound imaging in a 10-year-old, female, domestic shorthaired cat presenting with dyspnea and pleural effusion because of the presence of a modified transudate. Hematology and clinical chemistry were unremarkable. The owner elected euthanasia. At necropsy, a locally extensive, firm, multilobulated nodule surrounded the pulmonary vein. The tumor was composed of lobules of large polygonal cells separated by a fine fibrovascular stroma. Tumor cells infiltrated the myocardium, and neoplastic emboli were present, but no metastases were macroscopically detectable. Tumor cells were immunohistochemically positive for chromogranin A, for synaptophysin and, faintly, for neuron-specific enolase and negative for vimentin, cytokeratin, alpha smooth muscle actin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, thyreoglobulin, and calcitonin. Based on histologic and immunohistochemical findings, the diagnosis of chemodectoma was made.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15017037/