Brain Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Cancer, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, treatment.

Primary intra-axial leiomyosarcoma with obstructive hydrocephalus in a young dog.

Zabka TS, Lavely JA, Higgins RJ

Pathology Service, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8747, USA.

A female Chihuahua dog aged 2 months had a 3-week history of progressive neurological signs (abnormal behaviour, disorientation, left-sided circling, and incessant whimpering). Necropsy revealed a primary leiomyosarcoma in the midline of the posterior thalamus with secondary obstructive hydrocephalus of the lateral ventricles. Grossly, an infiltrative, grey-white tumour had partly invaded the third ventricle. Histologically, the tumour formed hypercellular, interlacing bundles of neoplastic spindle cells with blunt-ended nuclei. Neoplastic cells were strongly immunoreactive for vimentin and both muscle-specific and alpha-smooth muscle actin; MIB-1 immunoreactivity indicated a proliferative index of up to 5%. Leiomyosarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis for primary brain tumours and hydrocephalus in young dogs.

Published 29 October 2004 in J Comp Pathol, 131(4): 334-7.
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