Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Two dogs with kidney lymphoma and high red blood cell counts
By Durno, Alexandra S et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Mississauga-Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital and Referral Group, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Polycythemia and inappropriate erythropoietin concentrations in two dogs with renal T-cell lymphoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs were brought to the vet with signs of kidney problems and high red blood cell counts (polycythemia). Ultrasound showed large masses in their abdomens, indicating serious issues with their kidneys. Sadly, both dogs were found to have renal T-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the kidneys. The abnormal red blood cell levels were linked to the cancer producing a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), which usually helps make red blood cells. Unfortunately, both dogs passed away, highlighting the serious nature of this condition.
People also search for: dog kidney cancer symptoms · high red blood cell count in dogs · renal lymphoma in dogs
Abstract
Two dogs presented with suspected renal disease and polycythemia. Abdominal ultrasound examinations performed on both dogs revealed coalescing masses causing bilateral renomegaly. Serum erythropoietin (EPO) concentrations were physiologically inappropriate. Postmortem examinations revealed renal T-cell lymphoma in both dogs. One of the two dogs also had involvement of the liver and mesentery. EPO-immunohistochemistry on tissue samples demonstrated positive staining in tumor cells and occasional normal renal cells. This report illustrates that paraneoplastic EPO production may induce polycythemia. The pattern of EPO-immunohistochemistry staining suggested that the mechanism of production was due to tumor production of EPO and local hypoxia-induced EPO production from compression of normal renal cells and vasculature.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21311072/