Tissues from a 3-year-old, castrated male Great Dane were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL). On histopathology, the liver, spleen, and kidney were infiltrated by neoplastic lymphocytes. Neoplastic lymphocytes migrated through hepatic sinusoids and uniquely, also infiltrated hepatocytes.
Hepatocytotropic lymphoma is a rare, highly aggressive form of T-cell lymphoma, arising from a subset of cytotoxic T cells. The neoplasm is rapidly progressive, and dogs often die within 24 hours of presentation. In reported cases, patients presented with thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia and cholestasis. Other affected organs may include spleen, lung, and kidney. A related form of lymphoma, arising from the same type of T cell, is hepatosplenic lymphoma and in humans, young to middle aged men are more frequently affected.
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REFERENCES
Keller, S.W., et al. Hepatosplenic and Hepatocytotropic T-Cell Lymphoma: Two Distinct Types of T-Cell Lymphoma in Dogs. Vet Path. 2012; 50(2): 281-290