Lymphadenopathy associated with a thyroid carcinoma in a dog

Angiomatoid lesions in a lymph node associated with a thyroid carcinoma of a dog were restricted to the subcapsular and medullary sinuses. Lymphoid atrophy was present, but nodal architecture was not distorted and normal structures were not invaded. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that the vascular spaces formed by spindloid cells were lined by endothelium with a low mitotic index. The spindloid cells were positive for smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and desmin and thus were likely to be fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and/or pericytes. These features are comparable to vascular transformation of lymph node sinuses in humans (nodal angiomatosis), a nonneoplastic condition often associated with mechanical or functional blockage of efferent lymphatics and veins.