Pleural mesothelioma in a nine-month-old dog

Our plain-English summary of Pleural mesothelioma in a nine-month-old dog, by S.A. Vural, Z. Ozyildiz, S.Y. Ozsoy (Irish Veterinary Journal, 2007).

The study

• Authors: S.A. Vural, Z. Ozyildiz, S.Y. Ozsoy
• Journal: Irish Veterinary Journal
• Published: 2007;60(1):30-3
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This paper reports on an unusual case of pleural epitheloid mesothelioma in a nine-month-old male, mixed breed dog. The dog was presented in-extremis and, on post mortem examination, multiple, exophytic, frequently pedunculated, yellowish-red, soft to firm masses ranging from 3 mm to 6 cm in diameter were diffusely distributed over, and attached to, the pericardial and parietal pleural surfaces. Microscopically, these masses consisted of round to partially polygonalshaped, anaplastic cells with minimal cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei covering papillomatous projections or as part of more densely cellular masses. A supporting fibrovascular stroma and mitotic figures were also evident. Constituent tumour cells were labeled positively with antibodies against both vimentin and cytokeratin. In contrast, the same cells exhibited equivocal labeling with an antibody directed against calretinin antigen and did not label with antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and milk fat globule-related antigen (MFGRA). Such tumours are rare in dogs, particularly in such a young animal.

In plain English

This case report describes one dog, a nine-month-old male mixed breed, brought gravely ill to the Ankara University veterinary clinic in Turkey. It died before it could be examined. The owner said the dog had been dull, weak and short of breath for the previous week. At post mortem examination, about 200 ml of blood-tinged fluid was found in the chest. Many yellowish-red masses, 3mm to 6cm across, covered the lining of the chest wall (parietal pleura) and the sac around the heart (pericardium). On antibody staining, the tumour cells were positive for vimentin and cytokeratin, inconclusive for calretinin, and negative for CEA and MFGRA. Lymph nodes in the chest showed inflammation but no tumour. The authors concluded that the findings were consistent with epitheloid mesothelioma. They said such a tumour in a young dog is rare and its cause remains unclear, and suggested that tumours in young dogs may be congenital. The owner reported no history of exposure to industrial dusts.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Case report (veterinary pathology, single animal examined after death)
• Who was studied: One nine-month-old male mixed breed dog presented to the Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine clinic, Turkey; it died before clinical examination
• Exposure: No known exposure. The owner reported no history of exposure to industrial dusts. Asbestos is mentioned only as a background factor from other studies.
• Main results:
  • Before death, the dog had been dull, weak and short of breath (dyspnoeic) for one week, according to the owner
  • At necropsy, about 200 ml of serosanguinous fluid containing yellowish-red masses up to 2cm in diameter was found in the chest cavity
  • Multiple masses 3mm to 6cm in diameter were spread over and attached to the pericardial and parietal pleural surfaces
  • Under the microscope there were papillomatous projections and solid nests of cells on a fine fibrovascular stroma, with mitotic figures
  • Mediastinal lymph nodes showed lymphadenitis but no tumour
  • Tumour cells stained positive for vimentin and cytokeratin
  • Calretinin staining was inconclusive, and CEA and MFGRA staining was negative
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the findings were consistent with epitheliod mesothelioma, that such a tumour in a young dog is rare, and that its cause remains unclear. They suggested that occurrence in young dogs may indicate a congenital origin.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma, Pericardial, Calretinin, Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA).

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