A case of equine multicentric lymphoma: Clinical, microscopical, and molecular findings.
Abstract: Although relatively uncommon, lymphoma is the most prevalent haematopoietic neoplasia in horses, and multicentric lymphoma remains the most common presentation of the disease. The pathogenesis of equine lymphoma is still poorly understood and the diagnosis is usually confirmed at an advanced stage of the disease, compromising the prognosis. This study investigated the clinical, pathological, and molecular features of a case of equine multicentric lymphoma. Unassigned: An apparently healthy 5-year-old crossbreed mare hospitalized at the Centre of Animal Reproduction of Vairão, Portugal, suddenly presented clinical signs of supraorbital oedema and mandibular lymph node enlargement, developing fever, facial oedema, and generalized lymphadenopathy. The mare ended up dying twenty-four days after the first clinical signs due to multisystem organ failure. Haematological and biochemical analyses, necropsy, and microscopic and molecular evaluation of affected tissues were performed. At necropsy, the main findings were multiple multinodular lesions, distributed along the serous surface of oropharynx, trachea, pericardium, gastrointestinal tract, and mesentery. Microscopically, these consisted of solid proliferations of neoplastic round cells that exhibited immunopositivity for CD3 (T cells). Based on these findings, a medium-grade multicentric T-cell lymphoma was diagnosed. Unassigned: There is still very little research regarding the molecular characterization of lymphoma in horses. As an entity itself is quite heterogeneous, it is important to describe the interspecies particularities to understand its development and behaviour.
Publication Date: 2024-05-31 PubMed ID: 38938428PubMed Central: PMC11199752DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i5.24Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article discusses the case of a horse diagnosed with multicentric lymphoma – a form of blood cancer. The symptoms, diagnosis process, and molecular analysis of the disease are explored in detail in the paper.
Clinical Presentation
- The studied subject was a five-year-old crossbreed mare. Initially, the mare exhibited signs of supraorbital oedema (swelling above the eye) and swelling of the mandibular lymph nodes.
- The mare’s condition rapidly deteriorated, with symptoms escalating to fever, facial swelling, and generalized lymphadenopathy (disease of the lymph nodes).
- The mare unfortunately passed away 24 days after the onset of the first symptoms, with the cause of death being multi-system organ failure.
Pathological and Molecular Findings
- Post-mortem examination, biochemical analyses, and microscopic examination of the affected tissues were performed to diagnose the disease and understand its development.
- During the autopsy, multiple multinodular lesions were found in the oropharynx, trachea, pericardium, gastrointestinal tract, and mesentery.
- Microscopically, these lesions consisted of solid growths of neoplastic round cells that tested positive for CD3, indicating T cells.
- Based on these findings, a tentative diagnosis of medium-grade multicentric T-cell lymphoma was made.
Research Significance
- The study highlighted that lymphoma, although uncommon, is the most widespread type of haematopoietic (blood-related) cancer in horses.
- Additionally, most cases of equine lymphoma are diagnosed at an advanced stage, adversely impacting the prognosis.
- Moreover, the paper pointed out the scarcity of research on the molecular characterisation of lymphoma in horses. This lack of research makes it challenging to understand the disease’s progression and behaviour completely.
- The study emphasized the necessity of understanding the interspecies variations of lymphoma to gain a deeper understanding of the disease.
Cite This Article
APA
Silva GF, Ribeiro TE, Cunha R, Salas PB, Guimarães T, Ribeiro MR, Barros G, Carvalho F, Mesquita JR, Amorim I.
(2024).
A case of equine multicentric lymphoma: Clinical, microscopical, and molecular findings.
Open Vet J, 14(5), 1294-1301.
https://doi.org/10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i5.24 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Equine Clinical Centre of Vairão (CCEV), Vairão, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Equine Clinical Centre of Vairão (CCEV), Vairão, Portugal.
- AL4animals, Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Equine Clinical Centre of Vairão (CCEV), Vairão, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Equine Clinical Centre of Vairão (CCEV), Vairão, Portugal.
- AL4animals, Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal.
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Female
- Fatal Outcome
- Lymphoma / veterinary
- Lymphoma / pathology
- Lymphoma / diagnosis
- Portugal
- Lymphoma, T-Cell / veterinary
- Lymphoma, T-Cell / pathology
- Lymphoma, T-Cell / diagnosis
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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