Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia causing jaundice in a cat
By Molossi, Franciéli Adriane et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2021·Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pathological and immunohistochemical aspects of acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia in a cat - Short communication.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A female mixed-breed cat that tested positive for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was brought in with symptoms of jaundice, loss of appetite, and constipation lasting three days. Upon examination, the vet found that she was severely dehydrated and had an enlarged spleen and liver. Unfortunately, the cat was euthanized due to her poor condition, and a postmortem revealed that her bone marrow was largely replaced by abnormal cells, indicating acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. This aggressive cancer had also spread to her liver, lymph nodes, and other organs.
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Abstract
An adult, mixed-breed, feline leukaemia virus (FeLV-) positive female cat was presented with mucosal jaundice and a history of anorexia and constipation for three days. Physical examination revealed splenomegaly, cachexia, and dehydration. Humane euthanasia was conducted, followed by postmortem examination. Grossly, the cat was icteric, and presented hepatomegaly with multifocal white spots and splenomegaly. Histologically, the bone marrow was nearly completely replaced by a proliferation of megakaryocytes and megakaryoblasts, and there was a proliferation of fibrous connective tissue. Similar neoplastic proliferation was observed infiltrating the liver, lymph nodes, spleen, kidney, skeletal muscle, and lungs. Immunohistochemistry was performed for von Willebrand Factor (VWF), CD79α, CD3, feline immunodeficiency virus, FeLV, and CD61. Marked cytoplasmic labelling was observed in the neoplastic cells for FeLV, VWF and CD61, corroborating the diagnosis of acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34224399/