Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pulmonary tumors found in three hyperthyroid cats by scans
By Cook, S M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1993·Department of Urban Practice·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radiographic and scintigraphic evidence of focal pulmonary neoplasia in three cats with hyperthyroidism: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Three cats with hyperthyroidism were found to have lung tumors after showing symptoms and undergoing tests. They all had solitary nodules in their lungs, and one cat also had fluid buildup around the lungs. Two of the cats received radioactive iodine treatment, but one died shortly after, and the other was euthanized weeks later. The examination of their tissues confirmed that they had cancer that had spread to the lungs. Unfortunately, the treatments did not save these cats, highlighting the challenges in diagnosing and treating lung tumors in hyperthyroid cats.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism treatment · cat lung cancer symptoms · cat thyroid cancer prognosis
Abstract
Three cats were diagnosed as hyperthyroid based on clinical signs, historical findings, laboratory abnormalities, and basal serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations, and/or nuclear thyroid scans. Additionally, a presumptive diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma with pulmonary metastasis was made in each cat based on radiographic or scintigraphic evaluation. All three cats had solitary pulmonary nodules 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter on survey thoracic radiographs; one cat also had chylous pleural effusion and pulmonary lobar consolidation. Focal pulmonary accumulation of sodium pertechnetate (99mTcO4-) and/or radioiodine (131I) corresponding to radiographic lesions were seen in all cats. Two cats were treated with single ablative doses (1111 to 1480 MBq) of 131I; the remaining cat was euthanatized. One of the treated cats died 8 days later; the other cat was euthanatized 22 weeks following treatment. Histopathologic examination of tissue obtained at necropsy confirmed metastatic thyroid carcinoma in one cat and bronchogenic adenocarcinoma in two cats. Our findings indicate that increased radionuclide uptake in focal pulmonary lesions and cytologic evaluation of tissue obtained by fine-needle aspiration are not specific for thyroid tissue.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8263849/