RESUMO
Glucocorticoids are one of the key drugs used in palliative therapy. They have several palliative effects. However, aside from these effects, glucocorticoids have anti-tumor effects on lymphoid malignancies. In particular, for patients with lymphoid malignancy in the terminal stage of the disease, this medical modality can produce both symptomatic relief and anti-tumor effects without serious side effects. This article presents two impressive cases of patients with terminal lymphoid malignancy treated with glucocorticoids, who showed survival advantages and improved quality of life.
RESUMO
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is uncommon lymphoid malignancy in dogs, and its diagnosis is challenging. A 14-year-old spayed female mixed breed dog was transferred to a veterinary medical teaching hospital for an immediate blood transfusion. The dog showed lethargy, pale mucous membranes, and a weak femoral pulse. Complete blood count revealed non-regenerative anemia and severe leukopenia with thrombocytopenia. ALL was tentatively diagnosed based on the predominance of immature lymphoblasts on blood film examination. For confirmation of lymphoid malignancy, PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) on a peripheral blood sample and flow cytometry analysis were performed after blood transfusion. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that lymphocyte subsets were of normal composition, but PARR detected a T-cell malignancy. The dog was diagnosed with ALL and survived 1 wk after diagnosis. In conclusion, after blood transfusion, flow cytometry was not a reliable diagnostic method for an ALL dog, whereas PARR could detect lymphoid malignancy. Our results suggest that PARR should be the first-line diagnostic tool to detect canine lymphoid malignancy after a blood transfusion.