Concomitant occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma and benign anthracotic lymphadenopathy in a German Shepherd dog

Abstract

A nine-year-old male German Shepherd dog was presented with anorexia, lethargy and progressive weight loss. Clinical examination revealed emaciation, depression and dyspnoea. Haematological analysis showed leucocytosis and neutrophilia. The dog died following unsuccessful treatment and was submitted for necropsy. Gross examination revealed multiple tumour nodules in all liver lobes, lungs and lymph nodes (LN). The mesenteric lymph node (MSLN) appeared whitish-pink, whereas the mediastinal lymph node (MDSLN) showed black pigmentation on a greyish-white background. Cytology of hepatic nodules revealed clusters of neoplastic hepatocytes. Histopathology showed solid sheets of neoplastic cells consistent with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with compression and invasion of adjacent hepatic parenchyma. Metastatic neoplastic cells were observed in the lungs and LNs. Additionally, the MDSLN showed macrophages containing black pigments consistent with benign anthracotic lymphadenopathy (BAL). Immunoreactivity of arginase-1 showed marked expression in the neoplastic cells. Hep-Par-1 showed minimal expression in neoplastic cells and strong expression in the normal hepatocytes. Mild expression of glypican-3 and AFP were noticed in the neoplastic cells. Both the MSLN and MDSLN showed strong expression of CD3 and moderate expression of CD20 in the lymphoid cells. Gross, cytological, histopathological and immunohistochemical findings were consistent in the diagnosis of HCC coexist with BAL in a dog.