Pancreatic leiomyosarcoma in a domestic shorthair cat

A 7-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented with weight loss, abdominal distension, lethargy, pyrexia and hyporexia. Haematology and biochemistry were unremarkable. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a cystic mass within the left cranial abdominal quadrant, adjacent to the pancreas, stomach and spleen. CT revealed a 10.5 cm, rounded, well-encapsulated, hypodense mass arising from the left pancreatic lobe. The remaining organs of the abdominal and thoracic cavity were unremarkable. A partial left lobe pancreatectomy and splenic lymph node removal were performed. Histopathology of the pancreatic mass reported a proliferating population of neoplastic spindle cells most consistent with a preliminary diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma. Immunohistochemistry characteristics, together with the morphological findings, were consistent with a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma. The patient recovered without any concerns after receiving routine postoperative care. Clinical examination and abdominal ultrasound 5 months postoperatively revealed no abnormalities.

To our knowledge, this is the first report of pancreatic leiomyosarcoma in a cat. Pancreatic leiomyosarcoma should be considered as one of the possible differential diagnoses for cats presenting with a pancreatic mass.