Pancreatic extramedullary hematopoiesis in a dog

Abstract

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is a condition in which hematopoietic cells proliferate outside the bone marrow. It is more commonly observed in the spleen, but its presence is also found less frequently in other sites such as lymph nodes and the liver. The aim of this report is to describe a case of EMH in an atypical location. Necropsy of a 10-year-old male Rottweiler dog revealed a nodular lesion in the pancreatic tissue that was microscopically compatible with EMH. This condition is rare in the pancreas, with no reports existing in veterinary medicine and only one found in human medicine, where it was suggested to be associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The authors of the present case suggest the inclusion of EMH as a differential diagnosis in cases of nodular pancreatic lesions and reaffirm the importance of histopathology for the correct diagnosis.