Indian J. Vet. Pathol., 39(2) : 175-176, 2015: DOI: 10.5958/0973-970X.2015.00041.

Trabecular hepatocellular carcinoma in a dog

Vijayan N.*, Koshy Varghese, Pradeep M. and Gayathri S.L.
Department of Veterinary Pathology College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode – 673576, Kerala
Received: 20.9.2014; accepted: 1.11.2014

ABSTRACT
Vijayan, N., Koshy, Varghese, Pradeep, M. and Gayathri, S.L. (2015). Trabecular hepatocellular carcinoma in a dog. Indian J. Vet. Pathol.,
39(2): 175-176.

The hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare tumour in dogs. The present communication deals with gross and histological details of a
spontaneous case of hepatocellular carcinoma in a three year old male Rottweiler. The histopathological examination of the liver with
multiple nodules revealed highly cellular mass with pleomorphic polyhedral cells with malignant features. Based on the histoarchitecture,
the case is diagnosed as a case of trabecular hepatocellular carcinoma.
Keywords: Dog, gross and histopathology, hepatocellular carcinoma
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The reports of hepatocellular carcinoma are rare in
dogs. The histological pattern of this tumour has been
studied by few¹,². Hepatocellular carcinoma can be mas-
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a month. The carcass was subjected to detailed post
mortem examination and the tissue pieces were collected
for histopathological examination. Formalin fixed tis-

sive, nodular or diffuse, and the massive form is reported
to be more common in dogs. Multiple hepatocellular car-
cinomas are reported to affect more often, the left lateral
lobe³. Histologically, the tumours have been classified
into trabecular, adenoid and solid forms. The average
age of the dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs
has been reported to be 11 years with predominance in
males, and with no breed predominance³. Combined
forms of hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinomas have
also been reported4,5. In the present communiqué, gross
and histological detail of a spontaneous case of
hepatocellular carcinoma is reported.
The carcass of a three year old male Rottweiler dog
was brought for post-mortem examination at College of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, Wayanad,
Kerala. The animal was reported to be anorectic for about
sues were processed; paraffin sections were cut at 5μ
and stained with H&E stain. The post mortem examina-
tion revealed severely enlarged liver with multiple nod-
ules of varying sizes projecting from the surface. The
liver was moderately icteric. The nodules present on
each lobule were 36, 31, 40, and 31 in the left lateral, left
middle, right middle and right lateral lobes, respectively.
The nodules were fleshy in consistency, greyish white
in colour, discrete and embedded in the hepatic tissue
(Fig. 1). No suspected metastatic foci could be detected
in any other organ. Other prominent lesions included
haemorrhagic gastroenteritis and right ventricular car-
diac dilatation.
The case is from a relatively younger age group (3
years) is noteworthy since the reports of average age of
hepatocellular carcinoma reported has been 11 years,

Fig.1. Liver showing the multiple nodules in all the lobes; Fig.2. Liver: neoplastic cells arranged in trabeculae with mitotic cells (arrows).
H&E x400.

*Corresponding author: e-mail: vijayan@kvasu.ac.in

 176 Vijayan et al.
which is contradictory to earlier reports. Histological
examination revealed highly cellular, sheets of round to
polyhedral cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and cen-
trally placed round nucleus of varying size and varying
staining intensities. The nucleus showed anisokaryosis,
hyperchromasia with occasional mitotic figures. The
sheets of cells were arranged in a trabecular pattern of
2-3 cells thickness. Mild stromal tissue was evident in
some of the trabecular growth (Fig. 2). Occasional giant
cells with 4-5 nucleus were also evident. The whole sheets
of cells were circumscribed by fibrous connective tissue
which penetrated focally into the tumour tissue. The
hepatic cells adjacent to the growth showed severe
necrotic changes and fatty changes. Based on the gross
and histological picture, the tumour was diagnosed as
trabecular hepatocellular carcinoma.
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