Plasmacytoma is an uncommon tumor of dogs. There are two forms, medullary and extramedullary according to whether the growth is in the bone marrow or not, respectively. Today we will be discussing extramedullary plasmacytoma. This is a continuation of our series on round cell tumors which began with canine histiocytoma, followed by canine transmissible venereal tumor.
Canine extramedullary plasmacytomas are most likely to occur on mucus membranes and/or skin. The head is a common location for them, with the areas of the face, ears and lips frequently affected. However, lesions also commonly occur on the trunk as well as the feet and toes.
Typically canine extramedullary plasmacytoma is a tumor of older dogs. They arise with the appearance of raised, red nodules. Rarely is the general health of the patient affected unless the mass is in the mouth or rectum, in which case obstruction may occur.
Differential diagnosis must include multiple myeloma, especially if systemic disability is observed.
Treatment is primarily focused on surgical excision. However, given the typical locations in which they occur, surgical excision may, by necessity, be incomplete. For example, rectal and oral lesions may not allow removal of all of a tumor mass if large quantities of tissue must be excised. Sufficient skin to close a surgical site may exist for a small foot lesion, but this is a part of the body which has little skin to spare. Large lesions may require amputation.
On the other hand, growths on the trunk usually allow for wide surgical margins, removing all of the cancerous cells. In these cases prognosis is favorable.
For plasmacytomas which cannot be completely removed surgically, chemotherapy and radiation are good treatment options for many patients.
See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph.
I just thought I would share my experience, its a bit long and wordy.
My dog Neesa is a 12 year old female Great Pyrenees mix. She had a lump appear on the shin of one of her back legs, it grew fast then burst and became bloody. I had to have it surgically removed and was initially told it was just an oversize skin tag. Less than 4 months later another lump in the same area appeared and got quite large (small plum sized) Again it burst and the top layer of the skin became necrotic which I had removed, then visited a different vet than the 1st time. Again I had it surgically removed and this time sent it in for a biopsy. It came back benign and as a Cutaneous Plasmacytosis. The vet said he was confident he got it all and based on research it should not return.
Well it came back again 🙁 This time I also felt there were several pea sized lumps inside her leg around the same area, my vet said he was going to try to tie off the blood vessel in that area to see if that would prevent re-growth. When I returned for her post op inspection 2 weeks later, already there was another lump starting again. He had a look of defeat on his face, so very frustrating. Also around this time, I noticed other lumps appearing in different areas of her body now and they grow fast! Totally as of today she has 3 golf ball sized ones a smaller one that I noticed yesterday below her anus and another on her neck that is still deep below the surface of her skin. I have spent endless hours researching and when I discovered that melphalan was a treatment, my vet scripted it but its not found or sourceable anywhere where I live. She is currently on prednisolone and an antibiotic.
At this point I have made the difficult decision to not pursue cancer therapy drugs or treatments that would decrease her quality of life, she is an active 12 year old with no senior symptoms. So I am trying homeopathic topical treatments to try to reduce the size of the lumps if I can, such as a turmeric paste and an antibiotic/polysporin cream. When it gets to a point where her quality of life is being affected I will make the decision that no dog parent wants to make. The one that concerns me most at this point is the one on her bottom, if it gets large it will perhaps affect her potty ability and that also will decide for me what will need to be done. I have had my dog for 12 wonderful years and already as I write this it breaks my heart deeply. I am hoping my experience will help others.💙💙💙
That, dear reader, is a heart-breaking story. Having gotten twelve years out of a Great Pyrenees is a feat for which one can only credit God’s grace and TLC. May He continue to bless you as the inevitable time draws closer. Dr. Randolph
Hi Everyone! I am so confused about plasmacytoma. I found a red bump on my Yorkie on the side of his belly, at the bottom of his right rib cage. I thought it would go away, but after comparing it to some pictures on the internet, I took him to the vet. They did a biopsy and it came back benign plasmacytoma. They suggested surgery, but my confusion comes from what the vet said and what I’ve read, which is that it is highly unlikely to turn into cancer or spread. That being said, I am wondering why the need to remove it. I hate to risk putting him under if I don’t have to, but am wondering if I am putting him at risk in some way if I just leave it.
Please can someone clarify this for me.
There are two prime advantages to surgical removal. One, it gets the mass off while it’s still small. Even benign growths can get to be huge. Second, if the initial diagnosis was obtained by fine needle aspirate, a pathologist’s evaluation of the actual tissue can be more accurate in some cases. Thanks for reading, Dr. Randolph.
My miniature Dachshund I recently acquired from a Dachshund rescue had to have multiple surgeries in a relatively short time period. The problem I am writing about is a plasmacytoma aboutvthe size of a marble beside her right inner toe pad. It makes it difficult for her to walk. One vet recommends just tunneling around it to remove the mass. The other on recommends removing the toe. Both say these types of growths recur. She is nine years old and I have only had her two weeks. She has only two canines left in her mouth, the rest were removed Jan. 17. She must be on C/D formula food for struvite stones. She had seven of those removed the size of nickels on Jan. 25. I got her Feb. 9. One would be hard pressed to find a sweeter dog. I would appreciate your recommendations. Thank you for them and this site!
If this were my baby I would request a referral to a board-certified veterinary oncologist and follow his/her advice. Every patient’s needs are different.
My almost 10 year old golden retriever had to have a lump removed from her leg and during this time we also had a red lump in her ear checked with a FNA. The lump in her ear is right in the centre on the cartilage of the inside of her ear and is the size of a pencil eraser and very red. The vet tried squishing it (not sure why) maybe trying to figure out what it was ??!! Anyway we did do a FNA to determine what it was when she had surgery for the lump on her leg to be removed.
I would love to know your thoughts on the report below – this was just taken last week. My vet advised me to leave the lump and to just observe it for changes. Because of its location it is in the ear it requires a more difficult removal. Again the vet advised to just leave the lump and observe changes in the lump closely.
Thoughts ? Welcome your thoughts ? Thank you kindly.
Tanya
We found out it is plasma cytona – the report said – two small smears from an aspirate of a red round smooth dermal mass attached to the cartilage in the ear are evaluated. The smears are mildly to moderately cellular and hemodiluted with a few small platelets clumps. The background is clear to lightly pale and eosinophilic and contains scattered bare/smudged nuclei and a few small streams of nuclear material admixed amongst variable numbers of erythrocytes . The nucleated cells consist of a round cell population. These cells have variable amounts of deeply basophilic cytoplasm and a single round to ovoid nucleus that is the centrically located and has a stippled to slightly clumped chromatin pattern and indistinct nucleoli. Some cells have a characteristic perinuclear clear golgi zone. Occasional binucleate cells are noted. Anispcytosis and anisokaryosis is mild to moderate within this population. Mitotic figure aren’t identified. A single Mott cell is noted. The remaining nucleated cells consist consist of scattered inflammatory leukocytes, that do not appear to be increased in relation with the degree of hemorrhage noted. Etiologic agents are not identified. Interpretation : plasma cytoma.
The cytologic findings are consistent with a cutaneous plasma cytoma , cutaneous plasma cytoma are typically benign tumours seen in middle age to older dogs.
My recommendation would be to ask your local veterinarian to consult with an oncologist he trusts and seek his/her advice. The pathologist says it’s a “cutaneous plasmacytoma … typically benign tumor,” which is certainly encouraging. We wish you all the best. Thank you for reading http://www.MyPetsDoctor.com.