Carcinocythaemia (carcinoma cell leukaemia) in a dog: an acute leukaemia-like picture due to metastatic carcinoma.
An eight-year-old entire female boxer was presented with a two-week history of anorexia and lethargy and two-day history of unilateral left epistaxis. Clinical findings and laboratory test results suggested disseminated intravascular coagulation. On blood smear evaluation, occasional large epithelioid-like unclassified cells were detected. Occasionally these cells were organised in small clusters. Bone marrow examination revealed a marked infiltration by a malignant population of the same epithelioid-like cells. The dog was euthanased because of the guarded prognosis. Following histology and immunohistochemistry, a widespread undifferentiated carcinoma of unknown primary origin was diagnosed. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of carcinoma cell leukaemia reported in a dog. Carcinoma cell leukaemia is a rare oncological condition previously described in humans, characterised by non-haematopoietic neoplastic cells in peripheral blood.
Ospedale Veterinario Città di Pavia, Viale Cremona 179, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
M
M
Amati
F
F
Miele
G
G
Avallone
B
B
Banco
W
W
Bertazzolo
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*