T cell-lymphoma in the eyelid of a 9-year-old English Setter

Abstract

Background: Eyelid tumours are frequently found in dogs, most of these being benign. In case of an ulcerating eyelid tumour, malignancy must be considered. We report a unique case of a low-grade peripheral T-cell lymphoma in the eyelid of a 9-year-old English Setter.

Case presentation: A 9-year-old Setter presented with a 6-month history of an eyelid ulcer. A malignant eyelid neoplasm was suspected, and the lesion was surgically excised. No other treatment was applied, and 19 months after excision the dog was still well. Histopathology revealed a diffuse lymphocytic infiltrate in the eyelid skin. Ulceration of the epithelium was seen, and the underlying tumour was composed of round and poorly demarcated pleomorphic tumour cells. The cytoplasm was pale and the nuclei heterogeneous. Numerous mitoses were present. The tumour cells stained strongly for CD3. The final diagnosis was a peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (NOS).

Conclusions: This is the first described case of a solitary T-cell lymphoma NOS in the haired eyelid skin in a dog. Lymphoma should be considered in case of a persistent eyelid ulcer and a biopsy should be performed. T-cell lymphoma is generally an aggressive disease; however, indolent cases are well known, and as this case shows, complete excision of a solitary T-cell lymphoma can be curable. Canine cutaneous epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma is an important differential diagnosis, which must be recognized as the prognosis is very poor and systemic treatment is mandatory. The sub-classification of canine lymphoma is not complete, and further studies are needed to identify lymphoma subgroups and provide treatment guidelines.

Keywords: Canine; Dog; Eyelid; Lymphoma; Neoplasm; T-cell.

Fig. 1

a A 9-year-old male English Setter presented with a 6-month history of an eyelid ulcer on top of a tumour measuring 10 × 14 mm. The lesion is round and surrounds a central area of normal eyelid epithelium with hair. b In overview, a diffuse infiltrate of lymphoid tumour cells is seen within the epidermis and dermis (#). A large ulceration of the epithelium is seen (arrow). The tumour cells fill the rete ridges (*) and invasion of the epithelium is seen in some areas. Invasion of the adnexal epithelium does not occur (haematoxylin and eosin (HE); bar: 100 µm). c The tumour cells have pale cytoplasm and prominent nucleoli. Numerous mitotic figures are seen (arrow). (HE; bar: 30 µm). d The tumour cells stain positive in anti-CD3 staining, indicating that the tumour cells are of T-cell origin (bar: 50 µm)