Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Silent pituitary cancer causing sudden brain signs in young dog
By Gestier, S et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2012·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Silent pituitary corticotroph carcinoma in a young dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A young 11-month-old female weimaraner suddenly showed neurological signs and was sadly euthanized just six days later. A necropsy revealed a large tumor in her pituitary gland that was pressing on her brain, along with small tumors in her spleen, kidneys, and stomach. Despite the presence of these tumors, there were no signs of typical hormone-related issues often seen with pituitary tumors. This case highlights a rare type of pituitary cancer that doesn't cause the usual symptoms associated with hormone overproduction.
People also search for: dog neurological signs · weimaraner pituitary tumor · dog cancer symptoms · sudden onset dog illness · silent pituitary carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
An 11-month-old neutered female weimaraner was humanely destroyed 6 days after an acute onset of neurological signs. At necropsy examination the pituitary gland was replaced by a large neoplastic mass that compressed and infiltrated the overlying hypothalamus. Small nodules were detected in the spleen, kidneys and stomach. Adrenal, thyroid and parathyroid glands were normal in size. The primary pituitary mass, visceral nodules and microscopical metastases detected within the ventricles and leptomeninges of the brain comprised polygonal, chromophobic neoplastic cells, which labelled strongly for adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) on immunohistochemical examination. These findings, in the absence of clinical or pathological evidence of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, support a diagnosis of endocrinologically-inactive ('silent') pituitary corticotroph (ACTH-containing) carcinoma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21937056/