Histiocytic tumours in dogs.

摘要

Benign and malignant histiocytic tumours are important round cell tumours of dogs that are increasingly diagnosed. The identification of histiocytic tumours has been improved due to an increase in tumour sample submissions, more widespread staging of patients and more specific staining methods that can identify their tissue origins. Clinically there is a spectrum of disease from benign histiocytomas that are localised tumours that spontaneously regress to the most malignant form of disease that involves infiltration of multiple tissues throughout the body. This is likely to be a rapidly progressive and fatal disease. Occasionally, patient outcome is surprising, with some favourable responses to combination treatment with surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy with the alkylating agent lomustine. Histiocytic tumours should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis when neoplasia is suspected in any canine patient. They are also an important differential diagnosis for a broad range of clinical presentations as they can affect virtually any body tissue or anatomical site.