Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Use of chemotherapy for treatment of a mixed-cell thoracic lymphoma in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2004
- Authors:
- Saulez, Montague N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old Oldenburg mare was having trouble breathing and showed signs of lower airway disease, which later led to fluid buildup around her lungs. Although doctors couldn't find cancer cells in the fluid they took out, they discovered a mass in her chest through X-rays. They diagnosed her with lymphoma (a type of cancer) based on tests of the fluid. The mare was treated with a combination of chemotherapy drugs, including cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisolone, and she went into remission without any side effects from the treatment. This case suggests that testing fluid samples can be a helpful way to diagnose certain types of cancer when taking tissue samples is too risky.
Abstract
A 4-year-old Oldenburg mare was evaluated because of signs of lower airway disease and subsequently developed bilateral pleural effusion. Neoplastic cells were not identified in the fluid sample obtained via the initial thoracocentesis. A thoracic mass was detected radiographically, but its location prevented collection of a tissue sample. A diagnosis of lymphoma was made on the basis of results of immunophenotyping of pleural fluid specimens. Treatment of thoracic lymphoma in horses has been attempted, but there are limited data regarding chemotherapeutic-induced remission. In this horse, remission was achieved by use of a chemotherapeutic protocol consisting of administration of cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisolone. No adverse drug reactions were encountered during treatment. Immunophenotyping of cells in specimens of pleural fluid could be used to determine lymphocyte lineage and may be a useful alternative diagnostic modality when morphologic and cytologic examination of tissue specimens obtained via invasive techniques is not feasible.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15002812/