Cutaneous epitheliotropic lymphoma with dual CD3 and c-kit expression in a dog

An 11-year-old 8.9-kg spayed female Boston Terrier was presented for evaluation of a mucocutaneous tumor on the right side of the upper lip that had been biopsied (punch biopsy) by the referring veterinarian. The histologic diagnosis was poorly differentiated round cell tumor involving the submucosa with patchy involvement of the mucosa. On presentation of the dog to Louisiana State University, the tumor was found to involve the mucosa and haired skin surface of the right upper lip. A fine-needle aspirate of the right mandibular lymph node contained atypical poorly differentiated round cells similar to those in the histologic sections. To further characterize the tumor, immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor on the lip was performed; tumor cells were strongly immunoreactive for both CD3 and c-kit in a cytoplasmic to membranous pattern, with CD3 expression having a more intense membranous component. The diagnosis was cutaneous epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma with co-expression of CD3 and c-kit by neoplastic lymphocytes, an unusual finding. As receptor tyrosine kinases can be attractive targets for cancer treatment, expression of these molecular targets in tumors is a promising subject of future research.