Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fine needle aspiration of liver and spleen in staging low-grade dog
By Valentina Rinaldi et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2022·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: The Role of Fine Needle Aspiration of Liver and Spleen in the Staging of Low-Grade Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumor
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 136 dogs diagnosed with low-grade skin tumors called cutaneous mast cell tumors (cMCT) underwent tests to check if the cancer had spread to their liver or spleen. The results showed that only one dog had signs of cancer spreading to these organs, indicating that it is very rare for low-grade cMCT to spread in this way. This suggests that testing the liver and spleen may not be necessary for most dogs with this type of tumor. The dogs were monitored for a year after their diagnosis, and the findings align with previous studies on this condition.
People also search for: dog skin tumor treatment · low-grade mast cell tumor prognosis · canine cancer spread to liver
Abstract
Clinical staging is a fundamental step in the clinical assessment of canine cutaneous mast cell tumor (cMCT), and it is recommended to evaluate the tumor draining lymph node (eTDLN), perform diagnostic imaging, and fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the spleen and liver to determine the presence of metastatic disease, thereby refining the prognosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of splenic and hepatic involvement in newly diagnosed canine low-grade cMCT (Patnaik grade I–II, Kiupel low-grade). Medical records of dogs that underwent a clinical staging work-up and surgical excision for a low-grade cMCT between December 2019 and December 2021 were reviewed at five veterinary centers. Only dogs with a histological diagnosis of low-grade cMCT, FNA or histology of the eTDLN, FNA of the spleen and liver, and one year of follow up were included. One hundred and thirty-six dogs met the inclusion criteria. Only 1 out of 136 dogs (0.7%) had the presence of visceral metastases at diagnosis, suggesting that the prevalence of visceral metastases in low-grade cMCT is extremely low. The results of this study are consistent with previous literature and suggest that after a diagnosis of low-grade cMCT, cytology of visceral organs may not represent an essential step in the clinical staging work-up.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9090473