A Previously Undescribed Cutaneous Paraneoplastic Syndrome in a Cat with Thymoma

March 2019 in “ Veterinary dermatology ”

Quentin Fournier, Špela Bavčar, Adrian Philbey, Sionagh Smith, Katarina Varjonen

cutaneous paraneoplastic syndrome thymoma noninflammatory alopecia follicular atrophy epidermal atrophy trichilemmal keratinization orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis hair regrowth PNS hair loss skin atrophy keratinization hyperkeratosis

Studysummary The authors concluded that thymoma-associated paraneoplastic syndrome in cats may manifest as noninflammatory alopecia instead of exfoliative dermatitis, and should be considered when diagnosing multifocal noninflammatory alopecia.

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The study described a novel cutaneous paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS) in a 14-year-old neutered female domestic short hair cat with thymoma, presenting as noninflammatory alopecia with a dorsal multifocal distribution. Diagnostic imaging revealed a mediastinal mass, which was surgically removed and confirmed as a thymoma with multiloculated cyst formation and multifocal cholesterol granulomas. Histopathological assessment of the alopecic areas showed follicular and epidermal atrophy, trichilemmal keratinization, and mild orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis. Post-surgery, hair regrowth was observed in the previously alopecic areas. The cat was euthanized 3.5 months later due to recurrent chylothorax, suspected to be a postoperative complication. The study concluded that thymoma-associated PNS might not always manifest as exfoliative dermatitis and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multifocal noninflammatory alopecia.

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Research cited in this study

3 / 3 results

research Alopecia Areata Update

391 citations , January 2010 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This article reviews the clinical presentation and histopathologic features of alopecia areata and proposes a hypothesis for its development, but it reports no new clinical results.

research Cutaneous Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Dogs and Cats: A Review of the Literature

105 citations , December 2003 in “Veterinary Dermatology”

This review discusses the association between cutaneous paraneoplastic syndromes and internal malignancies, noting that recognition of these skin disorders may help detect underlying cancers, but reports no new research findings.

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71 citations , January 1998 in “Pathobiology”

This review discusses the use of animal models to study alopecia areata and reports no new experimental results, emphasizing the potential for these models to explore the disease's genetics and treatment.