Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pancreatic cancer in cats: tumor types and features study
By Cony, Fernanda G et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2023·Setor de Patologia Veteriná, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pathological and immunohistochemical characterization of pancreatic carcinoma in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of mature and senior cats, along with one young cat, were found to have pancreatic cancer after showing symptoms like abdominal masses, fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites), and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). The most common type of cancer identified was acinar carcinoma, which was often found as a single nodule or multiple nodules in the pancreas. Unfortunately, this type of cancer can spread quickly, often affecting blood and lymph vessels. If your cat is showing these symptoms, it's important to discuss the possibility of pancreatic cancer with your veterinarian for further evaluation and treatment options.
People also search for: cat pancreatic cancer symptoms · cat jaundice treatment · why is my cat losing weight and has a swollen belly
Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize the pathological and immunohistochemical aspects of pancreatic carcinoma in cats, through a retrospective study. From January 2010 to December 2021, 1,908 cat necropsies were performed, in which 20 cases of exocrine pancreatic neoplasia were diagnosed (1.04%). Affected cats were mature adults and seniors, except for one 1-year-old cat. In 11 cases the neoplasm was a soft, focal nodule on the left (8/11) or right (3/11) lobe. In nine cases there were multifocal nodules throughout the pancreatic parenchyma. The size of the single masses ranged from 2 to 12 cm, and the multifocal masses from 0.5 to 2 cm. The most frequent tumour type was acinar carcinoma (11/20), followed by ductal carcinoma (8/20), undifferentiated carcinoma (1/20) and carcinosarcoma (1/20). On immunohistochemical evaluation, all the neoplasms were remarkably reactive to pancytokeratin antibody. The ductal carcinomas were strongly reactive for cytokeratins 7 and 20, which proved to be a good marker for pancreatic ductal carcinoma in cats. The main form of metastasis was abdominal carcinomatosis, with a marked invasion of blood and lymphatic vessels by neoplastic cells. Our findings reinforce the fact that pancreatic carcinoma should be rated highly in the differential diagnosis in mature adult and senior cats with abdominal masses, ascites and/or jaundice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36812694/