Massive lymphangiosarcoma in a dog: a case report

Abstract

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Lymphangiosarcoma is a rare tumor arising from lymphatic endothelial cells in both humans and animals [1]. Dogs in the literature with lymphangiosarcoma range from 8 weeks to 13 years of age, and most reported cases occurred in medium to large breeds with no sexual predisposition [2-4]. Lymphangiosarcoma in dogs typically presents as a poorly demarcated subcutaneous mass or focal swelling with edema tissues. Lesions have been commonly reported to originate in the subcutaneous tissue in the inguinal and axillary regions; thoracic cavity; mediastinum; limbs; ventral cervical and midline areas [2,3,5]. However, information regarding the treatment of lymphangiosarcoma is limited, and the prognosis is considered to be poor in both humans and animals because of its aggressive and infiltrative characteristics [6]. Although it has been described in dogs, cats, and horses, the number of reported cases of lymphangiosarcoma is limited in veterinary medicine [1,2,7,8]. This case report describes the clinical history and histopathological features of a progressive and metastatic lymphangiosarcoma in the submandibular region of a dog. A 12-year-old neutered male Golden Retriever was presented to the animal hospital with a history of a progressively enlarging mass in the submandibular region, which had rapidly grown for approximately 1 month. Complete blood count and serum biochemistry analyses were within the normal ranges for the species but revealed anemia. Radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) analyses were performed for the examination of other organs and detection of metastasis. The mass was biopsied for histopathological diagnosis. The biopsied tissue was fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, processed routinely, and embedded in paraffin wax. The samples were sectioned 4-μm thick, stained with hematoxylin and eosin A 12-year-old neutered male Golden Retriever presented with a progressively enlarging mass in the submandibular region. Histopathological diagnosis confirmed lymphangiosarcoma with metastasis to the liver and spleen. The pleomorphic neoplastic endothelial cells of the tumor grow directly on bundles of dermal collagen, forming numerous clefts and interconnecting channels that are devoid of conspicuous hematic elements. As lymphangiosarcoma is an uncommon malignant neoplasm, the number of previously reported cases and information of the tumor is limited. The present report describes the clinical history and histopathological diagnosis of a progressive lymphangiosarcoma in the submandibular region with metastases in a dog.