Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog diagnosed with heart lining cancer using fluid test
By Choi, Eun Wha·Published in BMC veterinary research·2023·Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pericardial malignant mesothelioma diagnosed in a dog by immunocytochemistry of the pericardial fluid: a case report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old spayed female Yorkshire Terrier was brought to the vet because she was having trouble breathing. After examining her, the vet found fluid around her heart, which is known as pericardial effusion. Tests on the fluid revealed that she had malignant mesothelioma, a type of cancer affecting the lining around the heart. The diagnosis was made using a special technique that identifies specific markers in the cells from the fluid. Unfortunately, this type of cancer can be serious, and treatment options would need to be discussed with the veterinarian.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · Yorkshire Terrier heart fluid · malignant mesothelioma in dogs · dog cancer treatment options
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pericardial effusions are one of the most common cardiac diseases in dogs. Common causes of haemorrhagic pericardial effusions include neoplasia, such as hemangiosarcoma, mesothelioma, chemodectoma, and ectopic thyroid tumours, and benign idiopathic pericardial effusion. Distinguishing among reactive mesothelial cells, malignant mesothelioma, and adenocarcinoma in body effusions is a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, the author aimed to discover whether the observed cells were reactive mesothelial, mesothelioma, or adenocarcinoma cells through immunocytochemistry using five markers (cytokeratin, vimentin, desmin, E-cadherin, and calretinin) in a canine patient. CASE PRESENTATION: A 2.1 kg, spayed female, 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier dog presented to a local hospital with dyspnoea and was evaluated for pericardial effusion. The presence of pericardial fluid was confirmed, and she was referred to our hospital for further evaluation. In cytological evaluation, cells shed individually or in clusters were observed, along with numerous non-degenerative neutrophils and macrophages. The cells showed binucleation, anisocytosis, anisokaryosis, abnormal nucleoli, abundant basophilic cytoplasm, high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, and coarse chromatin. Large atypical multinucleate cells were also observed. Erythrophagia was observed, indicating chronic haemorrhage. Immunocytochemistry using pericardial fluid was positive for cytokeratin, vimentin, desmin, E-cadherin, and calretinin. Therefore, malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Immunocytochemistry is a very useful diagnostic technique because it can determine whether several fluorescent markers are simultaneously expressed in the same cell. Further, E-cadherin and calretinin can be used for the differential diagnosis of reactive mesothelial cells, malignant mesothelioma, and adenocarcinoma in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37480011/