Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with swollen belly and cancer mimicking abdominal scarring disease
By So-Jeong Nam et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2023·VIP Animal Medical Center KR, Seoul, Republic of Korea, CH·View original on DOAJ →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Peritoneal carcinomatosis with desmoplasia and osseous metaplasia mimicking encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in a cat: case report
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old neutered male Korean short-hair cat was brought to the vet because he was not eating, seemed very tired, and had a swollen belly. Tests showed he had fluid buildup in his abdomen, and imaging revealed thickening of the abdominal lining, which can mimic a condition called encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis. During surgery, the vet found fibrous membranes around the organs and areas of calcification. Unfortunately, further tests confirmed the presence of a serious cancer affecting the abdominal cavity. This case highlights a rare type of cancer in cats that can present with these symptoms.
People also search for: cat swollen belly · cat not eating lethargy · cat abdominal cancer symptoms
Abstract
A 13-year-old neutered male Korean short-hair cat presented with anorexia, lethargy, and a severely distended abdomen, suggestive of ascites. Abdominocentesis yielded serosanguineous fluid. A subsequent diagnostic workup, including blood tests, ascitic fluid analysis, imaging studies [radiography, ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT)], and histopathological examination, was performed to identify the underlying cause. Imaging studies revealed characteristics of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) such as peritoneal thickening, fat stranding, and calcification. During laparotomy, fibrous membranes encapsulating the abdominal organs and ascites were observed, and multiple calcified regions were detected on the abdominal wall. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of poorly differentiated invasive malignant neoplasms, which were further classified as carcinomatosis based on positive cytokeratin and negative vimentin immunohistochemistry results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of sclerosing peritoneal carcinomatosis with osseous metaplasia in a cat.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1298736