A case of feline neurolymphomatosis: pathological and molecular investigations

Neurolymphomatosis is a very rare form of nervous system infiltration by lymphoma that can affect cranial and peripheral nerves and spinal nerve roots. The clinical appearance can mimic autoimmune or paraneoplastic neuropathies. To date, only 2 cases of neurolymphomatosis have been reported in the veterinary literature (1 dog and 1 cat). A case of neurolymphomatosis in a 5-year-old female Domestic Shorthair cat is reported. Two, whitish, bosselated, non-symmetric masses (1 cm × 1.2 cm × 0.5 cm) that incorporated almost all cranial nerves and semilunar ganglia occupying the basisphenoid depression were histologically composed of a proliferation of monomorphic lymphocytes. These lymphoid cells were positive for CD3 (T-cell lymphoma). Nested polymerase chain reaction detected feline leukemia provirus. Fragment analysis of feline T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements evidenced an oligoclonal pattern with few peaks of similar height. The integration of pathologic with biomolecular findings adds to the information concerning the role of Feline leukemia virus on TCRγ rearrangements in cases of feline lymphoma.