Resolution of Paraneoplastic Alopecia Following Surgical Removal of a Pancreatic Carcinoma in a Cat

In 1999, a 13-year-old female neutered domestic longhaired cat with paraneoplastic alopecia and progressive weight loss underwent successful surgical removal of a pancreatic carcinoma, which led to the full regrowth of hair within 10 weeks. The initial examination did not reveal any metastases, but skin signs and weight loss returned after 18 weeks, and metastatic spread was confirmed postmortem. This case demonstrated that hair loss due to internal malignancies can be reversible with the excision of the tumor, providing a period of disease remission, although the cancer in this instance eventually metastasized.