Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐ is a tumour of the ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐๐ฒ๐ญ๐๐ฌ, one of the bodyโs major white blood cells. Because the white blood cells are found in the blood, these tumours can occur pretty much anywhere, and are always considered ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ (aggressive).
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Any species can get this!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Just like basically every other cancer, the exact cause is often unknown. However, some species have particular viruses that can induce lymphomas, such as ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ in cattle. In these species, testing for the virus can determine whether the lymphoma was ๐๐ง๐ณ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ (virus-induced) or spontaneously arose.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Because these tumours can occur virtually anywhere in the body, the clinical signs are highly variable. In general, organs where the virus sets up shop will have significantly decreased function. For example, lymphoma in the liver may lead to liver failure, or lymphoma in the eye may cause blindness. Dealing with large tumours generally makes the animal feel pretty dumpy, so they often have weight loss, lethargy and weakness as well.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Identifying the location of the tumours can be done via physical examination, ultrasound or X-rays. From there, confirming the type of tumour is important. Usually, this is done by either ๐๐ฒ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ, where a sample of cells is taken by a needle and examined under the microscope, or ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ, where a piece of the tumour is removed and examined. In both cases, the pathologist will see a large number of strange looking lymphocytes, confirming the diagnosis.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Thankfully, lymphomas are quite responsive to ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฒ, where specific drugs are used to target the tumour. Radiation therapy can also be used to improve success. In fact, it is estimated that over 90% of dogs will achieve complete remission!
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-6) Organs with lymphoma! In order: spleen, liver, lung, brain, eye and bone marrow. Note how the tumour tissue is quite whiteโฆ it is made of white blood cells after all!
7) A cytology from lymphoma showing a bunch of big lymphocytes!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 3. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1 and 6 ยฉ University of Calgary Diagnostic Services Unit.
Photos 2-5, 7 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Jakowski, Sagartz, Young licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
