MALIGNANT PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA IN A DOG: CASE REPORT

Abstract

Epithelioid mesothelioma is a malignant neoplasm derived from mesodermal cells of the serous membrane of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and tunica vaginalis of the testis. Being classified as a rare neoplasm. Due to the vast distribution of these cells, mesothelioma is a type of neoplasm that can affect two or three body cavities at the same time. In dogs there is no racial or sexual predisposition, and most of the cases observed are in animals from 4 to 13 years old. Mesothelioma represents only 0.2% of all neoplasms in dogs. The clinical signs usually observed are dyspnea and/or abdominal distention and cardiac tamponade. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and confirmation through histopathological or immunohistochemical examination. The prognosis of the disease is generally reserved to poor, due to its aggressiveness and symptomatology, leading the animal to death quickly. In cases of mesothelioma, treatment is almost always supportive, as chemotherapy is not highly effective. Given the importance, rarity and severity of this disease in the small animal clinic, the objective of this study was to report a case of a four-year-old female canine, mixed breed (SRD), where the diagnosis of mesothelioma was a found during treatment.