Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat develops tumor spread after pancreatic biopsy needle procedure
By S. Jegatheeson et al.·Published in JFMS open reports·2020·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Suspected pancreatic carcinoma needle tract seeding in a cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 15-year-old male neutered domestic longhair cat was brought in for a pancreatic nodule that was causing concern. After two needle aspirations, the tests suggested the nodule might be cancerous, leading to surgery where the nodule was confirmed as pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, two weeks later, a new lump appeared on the cat's abdomen, likely due to the needle procedure spreading the cancer. The cat received palliative care and lived for another 136 days after the surgery.
People also search for: cat pancreatic cancer symptoms · cat lump after needle biopsy · palliative care for cat cancer
Abstract
Case summary A 15-year-old male neutered domestic longhair cat was referred for investigation of a pancreatic nodule. Fine-needle aspiration of the nodule was performed on two occasions, 2 weeks apart, and cytology revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation and moderately dysplastic exocrine pancreatic epithelium, suspicious for neoplasia. Thoracic radiographs were unremarkable and a partial pancreatectomy was performed. On histopathology, the nodule was diagnosed as a moderately differentiated pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Two weeks after surgery, a firm subcutaneous nodule was detected on the left ventrolateral abdomen. Cytology of the nodule was suggestive of pancreatic carcinoma and needle tract seeding was suspected. With palliative treatment, the cat lived a further 136 days. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this represents the first report of suspected transabdominal needle tract seeding of pancreatic carcinoma following fine-needle aspiration in veterinary medicine. Veterinarians should consider this when discussing risks of pancreatic fine-needle aspiration with owners and should attempt to minimise the number of needle aspirations where possible.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/32537237