Lung-digit syndrome related to an adenosquamous feline lung carcinoma

ABSTRACT

Background: The lung-digit syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized by the presence of a primary pulmonar neoplasiamanifesting metastasis to the digit, occurring exclusively in felines. The diagnosis is based on the clinical signs, associatedwith radiographic and histopathological exams. There are no therapeutic protocols well-established, and surgical excisionis considered controversial due to high recurrence and metastasis rates. The prognosis is considered poor, with low survivalrates. The aim of this paper is to report a case of lung-digit syndrome attended in Rio de Janeiro.Case A 12-year-old female cat, no defined race, was attend with the complaint of weight loss and injury in the right thoraciclimb, already having histopathological diagnosis of squamous differentiation adenocarcinoma through biopsy. Physicalexamination showed no other clinical signs at first, including no signs of respiratory disease. Laboratory and imaging examswere performed, and the radiographic examination showed alterations in the pulmonary parenchyma showing a nodulararea of increased radiographic density. Followed up by the manifestation of breathing noise at rest, as the first respiratorysigns. The association of the clinical evaluation, medical history, and histopathological report from the limb lesion, leadto the suspicion diagnostic of lung-digit syndrome. The owners decide for the palliative treatment with chemotherapy, using carboplatin and prednisolone. Only the first session was performed, with the animal being euthanized due to clinicalworsening 48 days after the initial manifestation of clinical signs. The diagnosis was confirmed...