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Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy As a Chronic Heart Failure Model in Swine
Published on: February 17, 2018
Case report: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as congestive heart failure in a cat
Jake Johnson1, Hannah Melhorn1, Sonya Karchemskiy1
1Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, United States.
Insights
Cardiac lymphoma is a rare cause of congestive heart failure in cats. This case highlights a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a cat with feline immunodeficiency virus, suggesting a possible link to disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Pathology
- Cardiology
- Oncology
Background:
- Cardiac lymphoma is an uncommon condition in felines.
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common sequela, but cardiac lymphoma is rarely a primary consideration.
- Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a common retroviral infection in cats.
Abstract:
Cardiac lymphoma is uncommon in cats and is rarely considered as a differential diagnosis for congestive heart failure. A 10-year-old neutered male domestic short-haired cat with clinical histories of feline immunodeficiency virus, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure was humanely euthanized. Post-mortem evaluation demonstrated a massively infiltrative round cell neoplasm of the heart, resulting in CHF. Immunohistochemistry of neoplastic tissue was consistent with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This case demonstrates a peculiar presentation of cardiac diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with chronic feline lentiviral infection possibly contributing to disease initiation and progression.
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