Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Big Insulin-like Growth Factor 2-Producing Tumor in a Hypoglycemic Dog.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Noguchi, Syunya et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy · Japan
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female Papillon dog, who had a history of a mammary tumor, was brought in for treatment after experiencing a severe drop in blood sugar, known as hypoglycemia. Blood tests showed very low sugar levels and low insulin levels. Imaging scans revealed multiple tumors in her lungs, which were surgically removed and identified as a type of lung cancer called pulmonary adenocarcinomas. While her blood sugar improved for a short time after the surgery, she had another hypoglycemic episode two months later. The tumor was found to produce a substance called big insulin-like growth factor 2, which was causing her low blood sugar. Overall, the treatment provided only temporary relief from her symptoms.
Abstract
A 10-year-old female Papillon dog that had previously developed a mammary tumor was admitted for treatment of a hypoglycemic attack. Blood examination showed severe hypoglycemia and decreased blood insulin concentration. Computed tomography indicated multiple tumors in the cranial and caudal lobes of the right lung. These tumors were resected surgically and diagnosed as pulmonary adenocarcinomas by histopathologic examination. Hypoglycemia was temporarily improved after the resection, but a hypoglycemic event occurred 2 months after the surgery. Immunohistochemistry of the tumor demonstrated the expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 in tumor cells. Western blot analysis revealed the expression of high-molecular-weight (big)-insulin-like growth factor 2 in the tumor region. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA expression was also confirmed in the tumor using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. These findings indicate the diagnosis of non-islet cell tumor-induced hypoglycemia caused by big-insulin-like growth factor 2 produced by the tumor in the dog. This report provides information on differentiating tumors that cause paraneoplastic hypoglycemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32148182/