Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spinal cord nephroblastoma tumors in 11 dogs from 1985-2007
By Brewer, David M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2011·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Spinal cord nephroblastoma in dogs: 11 cases (1985-2007).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 11 dogs, mostly young females, were diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor called nephroblastoma, which caused symptoms like weakness in their back legs and difficulty walking. The dogs had these symptoms for about two weeks before being diagnosed, and the average survival time after diagnosis was just over a month. However, those that underwent surgery to remove the tumor lived longer, with an average survival of about 70 days. While the overall outlook for these dogs is poor, surgery combined with radiation therapy may improve their quality of life.
People also search for: dog spinal cord tumor symptoms · nephroblastoma treatment in dogs · dog weakness in back legs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical features and outcome of dogs with a confirmed spinal cord nephroblastoma and to describe the use of Wilms tumor-1 (WT-1) immunohistochemical staining to confirm a diagnosis of nephroblastoma in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. Animals-11 dogs with a spinal cord nephroblastoma. PROCEDURES: Medical records of dogs with a spinal cord nephroblastoma were reviewed. Information extracted included signalment, history, clinical signs, results of diagnostic testing, tumor location, treatment, and outcome. The diagnosis was confirmed through histologic review and WT-1 immunohistochemical staining of a tumor sample. In dogs with negative results for staining with WT-1, staining for cytokeratin, vimentin, and glial fibrillar acidic protein was performed. RESULTS: 11 dogs had a spinal cord tumor with a histologic appearance and immunohistochemical staining consistent with a nephroblastoma. Positive results for staining with WT-1 were detected in 9 of 11 dogs. Age at admission ranged from 5 to 48 months (median, 14 months). Nine dogs were female. All had progressive paraparesis, paraplegia, or ataxia. Duration of clinical signs ranged from 2 to 60 days (median, 14 days). Median survival time was 30 days from the time of diagnosis. Median survival time in dogs treated via surgical resection was 70.5 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The prognosis for dogs with a spinal cord nephroblastoma appeared to be poor, although combined surgical resection and radiation therapy may provide a good functional outcome. Results for staining with WT-1 can be used to support a diagnosis of nephroblastoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21355804/