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Clinical and pathological classification of canine intraocular lymphoma
Matthew R Lanza1, Ayla R Musciano1, Richard D Dubielzig2
1Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Insights
Canine intraocular lymphoma often presents without systemic signs. Dogs with presumed solitary ocular lymphoma (PSOL) have significantly better outcomes than those with multicentric disease.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Pathology
- Ophthalmology
- Oncology
Background:
- Intraocular lymphoma in dogs is a significant ophthalmic and oncologic concern.
- Understanding its features and outcomes is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
- Distinguishing solitary ocular lymphoma from multicentric disease impacts prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize canine intraocular lymphoma histomorphologically and immunohistochemically.
- To determine the prevalence of presumed solitary ocular lymphoma (PSOL) versus multicentric disease.
- To evaluate clinical outcomes and survival times for dogs with intraocular lymphoma.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 100 canine intraocular lymphoma cases (2004-2015).
- Histomorphologic and immunohistochemical evaluation using WHO classification.
- Veterinarian questionnaires for clinical data, staging, and outcomes.
- Categorization into PSOL based on clinical staging criteria.
Main Results:
- Peripheral T-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were the most common subtypes.
- 61% of cases lacked systemic involvement at diagnosis.
- Presumed solitary intraocular lymphoma cases had a significantly higher median survival time (769 days vs. 103 days).
- Lymphoma subtype did not influence survival time.
Conclusions:
- Canine intraocular lymphoma frequently presents as presumed solitary ocular lymphoma without systemic signs.
- Dogs with PSOL demonstrate significantly improved survival and no postoperative disease progression.
- Early diagnosis and staging are critical for managing canine intraocular lymphoma.
Abstract:
The objectives of this retrospective study of 100 dogs with intraocular lymphoma were to describe the histomorphologic and immunohistochemical features of canine intraocular lymphoma, determine the proportion of cases with presumed solitary ocular lymphoma (PSOL) compared to multicentric disease, and assess the clinical outcomes of these patients. Selected cases from Penn Vet Diagnostic Laboratory and Comparative Ocular Pathology Lab of Wisconsin (2004-2015) were evaluated and subtyped using the WHO classification system. Peripheral T-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were the two most common subtypes. Questionnaires were distributed to the referring veterinarians and veterinary ophthalmologists inquiring about clinical signs at time of enucleation, staging, patient outcome, treatment, and disease progression. Cases were categorized as PSOL if only ocular involvement was noted at the time of diagnosis based on the clinical staging criteria. The majority of cases (61%) did not have systemic involvement at the time of diagnosis, and these cases did not progress postoperatively. Median survival time (MST) was significantly higher for the presumed solitary intraocular cases: 769 vs. 103 days, hazard ratio of 0.23 (95% CI: 0.077-0.68). The subtype of lymphoma did not affect survival time. The results of this study suggest two significant points of clinical interest: the majority of dogs (61%) presented without signs of systemic involvement of lymphoma at the time of enucleation, and dogs with only ocular involvement showed no disease progression postenucleation.
