Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with spinal cord tumor and multiple skin nerve tumors
By Hoon-Hanks, L L et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2018·Colorado State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Primary Meningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma of the Spinal Cord of a Young Dog with Neuromelanocytosis and Multiple Cutaneous Neurofibromas.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-week-old male black Labrador puppy was brought in after experiencing worsening paralysis in his back legs and having multiple skin lumps. Sadly, a post-mortem examination revealed a serious tumor in his spinal cord, identified as rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a type of cancer. The puppy also had unusual skin growths and other abnormal cells in his spinal cord. This case is notable because it highlights a rare type of spinal tumor in young dogs that hasn't been documented before. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the condition, the puppy did not survive.
People also search for: puppy hindlimb paralysis · black Labrador skin lumps · spinal tumor in young dogs
Abstract
A 7-week-old male black Labrador retriever puppy was presented for post-mortem examination following progressive hindlimb paralysis and multiple masses within the skin. A highly compressive and infiltrative intradural mass was found within the T9-T11 spinal cord. Microscopical and immunohistochemical analysis revealed features compatible with spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The adjacent spinal cord had numerous melanin-containing cells, arranged in small nodules, predominantly within the grey matter (proposed term of 'micronodular neuromelanocytosis') and the left lateral thorax had multifocal dermal neurofibromas. In this case, the constellation of proliferative/neoplastic lesions represents a unique case presentation with unclear aetiology. Primary canine meningeal RMS of the spinal cord has not been reported previously and represents a novel differential diagnosis for spinal tumours of young dogs. Moreover, such cases should be assessed for the presence of additional congenital abnormalities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30502797/