Metastatic thymoma in the liver of a dog.

Abstract

A 12-y-old neutered male Portuguese Water dog was presented because of a 1-y history of persistent hyporexia, diarrhea, and recurrent pyelonephritis. Abdominal ultrasound revealed hepatic nodules and diffuse splenomegaly, and radiographs revealed a mediastinal mass. Fine-needle aspirates of the liver, spleen, and mediastinal mass were suspicious for lymphoma. Flow cytometry identified small T cells that co-expressed CD4 and CD8 at all sites, most suspicious for thymoma, but lymphoma could not be ruled out. PCR for antigen receptor rearrangements analysis identified polyclonal amplification of the T-cell receptor genes, more consistent with thymoma than lymphoma. Histopathology of the liver and thymic mass confirmed thymoma with hepatic metastasis.