Pathology in Practice: Case of a 13-Year-Old Cat with Paraneoplastic Alopecia and Hepatic Malignancy

    May 2014 in “ Javma-journal of The American Veterinary Medical Association ”
    Shaunita J Sharpe, Richard L. Meadows, David A. Senter, Keiichi Kuroki
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    TLDR The cat had liver cancer and a related hair loss condition, with a likely cause being bile duct cancer.
    The document detailed the case of a 13-year-old cat with progressive hair loss, anorexia, diarrhea, and weakness, which led to its euthanasia. Postmortem examinations revealed severe alopecia and large nodular masses in the liver, diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, likely cholangiocarcinoma. These findings suggested paraneoplastic alopecia, a condition often associated with pancreatic carcinoma but also with liver cancers. The cat's prognosis was poor, as this syndrome typically results in death or euthanasia within 8 weeks of diagnosis, and treatment options are limited. While hyperadrenocorticism was considered, the clinical signs pointed strongly to paraneoplastic alopecia. The conclusion was that the cat suffered from hepatic malignancy and paraneoplastic alopecia, with cholangiocarcinoma as the probable cause, though metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma was not definitively excluded.
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