Lymphosarcoma or lymphatic leukemia of the dog and cat

Crighton, George W (1966) Lymphosarcoma or lymphatic leukemia of the dog and cat. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The thesis is divided into three parts. The first is a description of lymphosarcoma or lymaphatic leukaemia in the dog and cat. The second is a report of transmission experiments with lymphosarcoma of the cat. The final part is a description of a series of experiments designed to calibrate and evaluate an electronic particle counter for use in experimental haematology in the cat. Part one of the thesis is in two sections. The initial section deals with lymphosarcoma in naturally occurring oases in the dog. This is one of the most important malignant conditions encountered in this species and is a neoplastic disease of the adult animal which is relatively short in duration. It is characterised by the abnormal proliferation of cells of the lymphoid series on sites of lymphoid tissue together with infiltration and invasion by tumour cells into many organs and tissues throughout the body. One hundred and fifty dogs which had been admitted to the University of Glasgow Veterinary Hospital suffering from lymphosarcoma formed the basis of the study. Each animal had been subjected to a full post-mortem examination. The morbid anatomy, histo-pathology, haematology, blood biochemistry, radiology and clinical data in this group are tabulated and also described in the text. A classification of the disease is proposed which is based on the distribution of the major lesions. This classification is particularly useful from a clinical viewpoint, since the two common forms of the disease are associated with distinctive syndromes and have thus to be differentiated from two different groups of disease. Three forms of lymphosarcomas recognised. There is a multicentric type which is associated with bilaterally symmetrical enlargement of most of the superficial lymph nodes and with hepatosplenomegaly. An alimentary type is found which is characterised by tumour lesions along the alimentary tract and/or gross Infiltration of the mesenteric node, but there is no infiltration or enlargement of the superficial lymph nodes. In both of these form of lymphosarcoma other organs and tissues are involved to a greater or lesser extent. The third form of the disease, the so-called aberrant type is relatively rare and tumour lesions are found in sites other than the superficial lymph nodes or the alimentary-mesenteric area. The multicentric and alimentary forms of the disease together account for approximately 94% of the oases in this series and they occur in equal numbers. On the basis of a quantitative study of the post-mortem histology of affected lymph nodes and lesions of the alimentary tract, diagnostic criteria have been determined and are presented. The essential diagnostic markers in the common forms of the disease have also been established and are described. Although abnormal changes in the peripheral blood are frequently observed, they are seldom specific. A true leukaemia, comparable to leukaemia in man, is uncommon in the dog, so that blood is of little value as a diagnostic tool. Furthermore, the useful correlation which have been found in man betwen the duration of overt haemopoietic tumours and such factors as the degree of differentiation of the dominant tumour of the dominant rate and the age of the patient are not correlated in lymphosarcoma in the dog and are of no value in prognosis in this disease. In the second section of part one there is a description of naturally occurring oases of lymphosarcoma in the cat. The methods of study and presentation are similar to those of the previous action. With certain exceptions the disease in the cat is similar to that in the dog. The three forms of the disease which are observed in the dog are again found. A fourth type is also recognised. This is a so-called thymic type, which is associated with a gross tumour mass in the anterior mediastinum at the site formerly occupied by the thymus. in this form of the disease the tumour of the anterior thorax is the sole macroscoplcal lesion in the body and is accompanied by a characteristic respiratory syndrome Space-Occupying lesions in the anterior thorax are also observed in certain other cases but because of the presence of superficial lyrophadenopathy, these are included in the multicentric group. As in the dog, lymphosarcoma in the cat is essentially aleukaemic. Part two of the thesis comprises a preliminary report on initiation experiments designed to transmit this disease by inoculating newborn kittens with preparations from spontaneous and experimental oases of the disease in this species. This is part of a long-term research programme which is being carried out at this Hospital to test the hypothesis that lymphosarcoma in the domestic mammals is caused by a virus.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: W IM McIntyre
• Keywords: Veterinary science
• Date of Award: 1966
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1966-72410
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 24 May 2019 15:12
• Last Modified: 24 May 2019 15:12
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/72410