by Krista Adamovich, DVM, DACVS - SA
A 10 year-old, reportedly MN Italian Greyhound presented for a 1-2 year history of distended abdomen and diffuse alopecia. A large palpable abdominal mass was confirmed on radiographs. Mass aspirated as carcinoma of unknown origin. Thoracic radiographs unremarkable. CBC/Chem revealed ALP 231.
Abdominal ultrasound revealed a right-sided, large heterogenous and irregular mass with a torturous blood supply and of unknown origin, extending from caudal to the duodenum to cranial to the urinary bladder.
Bilateral retained testicles discovered in surgery. The right testicle was a Sertoli Cell Tumor (SCT), weighing 3 lbs on excision. SCTs are common in cryptorchid testicles. They may produce estrogenic hormones that lead to alopecia, feminization, and pancytopenia. Metastasis occurs in ~10% of cases, usually to regional lymph nodes. Prognosis is good with surgical excision.
