Mediastinal Lymphosarcoma in a Seven-Month Old Labrador Retriever

The words “canine lymphosarcoma” invoke images of a middleaged dog with extremely enlarged lymph nodes or a chronic skin or gastrointestinal condition that worsens despite therapy. Similar to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans, canine lymphosarcoma (LSA) is a spontaneous neoplasm resulting from the clonal proliferation of malignant lymphocytes within solid tissues [1]. Lymphosarcoma (also referred to as lymphoma in veterinary literature) is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the canine and accounts for 7% 24% of all canine neoplasms [1]. Though LSA ranks among the most treatable of all canine neoplasms, many factors contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease and affect the prognosis and outcome of a case. There is relatively little information about LSA in the juvenile canine. This paper presents information about LSA and demonstrates a case that, for several reasons, had a very guarded prognosis.