Subcutaneous B Cell Lymphoma in a Dog from the West Indies

Abstract

A 9-year-old male castrated mixed-breed dog from the West Indies was presented for multiple, nonpainful, nodular, circumscribed, subcutaneous masses located on the dorsum, lateral thorax, head, forelimbs, and scrotum. En bloc surgical resection of a mass on the right paw, left forehead, and left medial forelimb with proportional margins was performed. Three punch biopsies were taken from the masses located along the right lateral flank. Histopathologic and immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination of the skin lesions revealed a diagnosis of subcutaneous B cell lymphoma. Thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasound were negative for signs of gross metastatic disease. Chemotherapeutic intervention included intravenous doxorubicin (30 mg/m2) administered at 3-week intervals for 3 treatments and oral prednisone (2 mg/kg/d) for 3 weeks. There were no complications following the chemotherapy protocol. As of 3 years, there has been no regrowth of the tumors and the patient continues to be cancer free. To date, this is the first reported case of subcutaneous B cell lymphoma diagnosed in a dog treated successfully with gross tumor resection and chemotherapy.