Post-mortem anatomopathological findings of large cell lymphoma in canine: case report

Abstract

Lymphoma is a hematopoietic neoplasm commonly diagnosed in dogs. Its etiology is still unknown and is probably multifactorial. It happens mainly in middle-aged animals or elderly people with no racial predilection. In Veterinary Medicine the most common classification of lymphoma is based on the anatomical location of the tumor masses, such as, multicenter, mediastinal, alimentary and extranodal. The latter is characterized as the appearance of an isolated lymphoid tumor in any organ not belonging to the primary or secondary lymphoid tissue. Other common locations include the nervous system, heart, eyes, nasopharynx, bones, testicles, urinary bladder, and penis. The clinical signs of this neoplasm are varied and depend on its anatomical location. For the definitive diagnosis it is necessary to perform the histopathological or cytological evaluation of the affected tissues, however, the accomplishment of complementary tests is necessary for clinical staging. Polychemotherapy is the most widely used and effective treatment in dogs with lymphoma and dozens of protocols are available. The steps of chemotherapy are induction of remission, maintenance of remission, and re-induction of remission or rescue therapy. The objective of this work was to describe the postmortem anatomopathological findings of large cell lymphoma in a 3-year-old Chow Chow canine, in order to contribute to further studies about this neoplasm.