Canine indolent nodular lymphoma

Sixty-six cases of indolent canine lymphoid proliferation were reviewed. Age ranged from 1.5 to 16 years (median 9.0 years). Dogs of 26 breeds, plus 13 of mixed breeding or unknown lineage, were represented. B-Cell lymphomas (CD79a+) predominated. Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), the largest group, involved lymph node (33 cases) and spleen (13 cases), with both tissues involved in five of these cases. Follicular lymphoma (FL) involved lymph nodes (five cases), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) occurred as solitary splenic masses (three cases). Nodal CD3+ T-zone lymphomas (TZL) (10 cases), were included since they resembled late-stage MZL at the architectural level. Two cases of marginal zone hyperplasia (MZH) were included to aid in differentiation of early MZL. Clonality status was determined in 54 cases by analysis of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) and T-cell antigen receptor gamma (TCRG) gene rearrangement. Clonal rearrangement of IGH was detected in 28 of 35 MZL cases (80%), four of four FL cases (100%) and three of three MCL cases (100%). Concurrent cross lineage rearrangement of TCRG was detected in six MZL and two FL cases. Clonal rearrangement of TCRG was documented in five of eight TZL cases (63%). Limited survival data obtained for 18 dogs indicated that the B-cell lymphomas (MZL, MCL, and FL) and the T-cell lymphoma (TZL) were associated with indolent behavior and long survival. Although to the authors' knowledge, the true incidence of canine indolent lymphomas is unknown, the tumors are not rare and may have been underrecognized. Recognition of their architectural features, routine application of immunophenotyping, and molecular clonality assessment should alleviate this.