Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog thyroid cancer spread shown by bright lymph node on CT scan
By Lee, Sang-Kwon et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pre-contrast hyperattenuating metastatic lymph node on computed tomography due to iodide accumulation in a dog with thyroid carcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old Bichon Frise was brought in with a noticeable mass on the right side of its neck. A CT scan showed a thyroid tumor, and although the nearby lymph nodes didn't appear enlarged, one lymph node had unusual characteristics that suggested cancer spread. A biopsy confirmed that the lymph node contained cancer cells from the thyroid tumor. This case highlights that even if lymph nodes look normal in size, changes in their appearance can indicate cancer spread in dogs with thyroid tumors. The dog received appropriate treatment for the thyroid cancer based on these findings.
People also search for: dog neck mass · Bichon Frise thyroid cancer symptoms · dog lymph node cancer treatment
Abstract
An 11-year-old Bichon Frise presented with a right cervical mass. Computed tomography revealed a thyroid mass without significant lymphadenopathy; however, the caudal portion of the ipsilateral retropharyngeal lymph node exhibited marked hyperattenuation on pre-contrast images. Histopathology of this lymph node confirmed the presence of metastasis from thyroid adenocarcinoma. The caudal portion of the lymph node displayed dense tumor cells with abundant sodium/iodide symporter-positive cells. The observed hyperattenuation of the lymph node was presumed to result from iodide deposition associated with the metastasis of the thyroid tumor. This case suggests that even in the absence of lymph node enlargement, hyperattenuating lymph nodes should raise suspicion for metastasis in dogs with thyroid tumors. However, as this is a single case, further studies are needed to determine the broader applicability of this finding.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40670116/