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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cat with itchy red skin plaques diagnosed with Sézary syndrome

By Wood, Casey et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2008·Department of Diagnostic Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Sézary syndrome in a cat.

Species:
cat
LymphomaSkin & coatCats

Plain-English summary

A cat with severe skin problems, including itchy red patches, was diagnosed with Sézary syndrome, a rare type of leukemia related to skin lymphoma. Over six months, the cat had multiple skin tests that initially showed a different skin condition but later revealed cancerous cells in the blood. Unfortunately, the cat passed away shortly after the diagnosis was confirmed. This case highlights how challenging it can be to identify skin lymphoma in its early stages.

People also search for: cat skin problems · itchy red patches in cats · Sézary syndrome in cats · cat lymphoma symptoms · cat leukemia treatment

Abstract

Sézary syndrome is an uncommon leukemic variant of cutaneous lymphoma in cats. This cat had recurrent dermatitis with erythematous, pruritic plaques. Multiple skin imprints and biopsy samples were obtained over a 6-month period, and histopathological findings were consistent initially with eosinophilic miliary dermatitis and later with erythema multiforme. One week before death, Sézary cells were identified in the peripheral blood that expressed cluster of differentiation (CD)3 and CD8 antigens. Massive infiltration of CD3+ lymphocytes was noted in the skin and multiple internal tissues by histopathological examination. This case demonstrates the difficulty in diagnosing cutaneous lymphoma early in the disease course.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18451073/