| Syndrome | Primary Tumor Association (Dog) | Primary Tumor Association (Cat) | Primary Mechanism |
|---|
| Alopecia | Adrenal carcinoma | | Dogs: due to an excess of cortisol production; most often associated with hyperadrenocorticism |
| Alopecia (feline paraneoplastic alopecia) | | Pancreatic carcinoma and carcinoma of the biliary tree | Cats: mechanism unknown. See Adenocarcinoma, Pancreas; Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's Syndrome-Cats); and Feline Paraneoplastic Alopecia |
| Cachexia | Assorted-true cancer cachexia is relatively rare | Assorted-true cancer cachexia is relatively rare | Severe metabolic derangements likely caused by cytokines and hormones; may result from alterations in lipid, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism that create a net energy loss in spite of adequate caloric intake; anaerobic metabolic pathways of cancer cells may play a role. See Weight Loss and Cachexia |
| Cutaneous flushing syndrome | Pheochromocytoma; mast cell tumor | Not reported | Inappropriate release of vasoactive substances, such as histamine, causes paroxysmal flushing of the skin |
| Diencephalic syndrome | Astrocytoma, anaplastic ependymoma | Not reported | Tumor is present in the diencephalon region of the brain; excess of growth hormone results in dramatic weight loss (without acromegaly) despite adequate caloric intake |
| Disseminated intravascular coagulation | Hemangiosarcoma; many others | Myeloproliferative disease | See Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation |
| Eosinophilia | Assorted, including lymphoma and mast cell tumors | Assorted, including lymphoma and mast cell tumors | May be due to stimulation of eosinophil precursors by products such as interleukin-2, -3, and -5 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor |
| Exfoliative dermatitis (feline thymoma associated exfoliative dermatitis) | Not reported | Thymoma | Not completely elucidated, likely due to the induction of autoreacting T-lymphocytes |
| Feminization syndrome | Testicular tumors-especially Sertoli cell tumors | | Due to hyperestrogenism or a relative testosterone:estrogen imbalance that is uncomplicated by myelosuppression |
| Gastroduodenal ulceration | Non-islet cell pancreatic neoplasia; mast cell tumor | Rare | Inappropriate gastrin secretion (non-islet cell tumor) or excess histamine secretion (mast cell) |
| Hypercalcemia | Lymphoma; apocrine gland adenocarcinoma of the anal sac (AGASACA); multiple myeloma; others | Relatively rare; lymphoma; squamous cell carcinoma; others | Dogs: multiple secreted factors involved; with lymphoma and AGASACA may involve parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) production Cats: mechanisms unexplored. See Hypercalcemia |
| Hypertrophic osteopathy | Metastatic and primary tumors of the lung, intra-abdominal tumors also | Metastatic and primary tumors of the lung, intra-abdominal tumors also | Characterized by distal limb soft tissue swelling followed by periosteal new bone growth. The etiology is unknown. Several mechanisms likely play a role, including vagally-mediated changes in limb perfusion, cytokine and growth factor secretion, immune mechanisms, vascular thrombi caused by platelets and antiphospholipid antibodies, and interaction between activated platelets and the endothelium |
| Hyperviscosity syndrome | Immunoglobulin-secreting tumor (e.g., multiple myeloma, lymphoma) | Immunoglobulin-secreting tumor | Accumulation of large immunoglobulin proteins or polymerized small immunoglobulin proteins in the blood that result in decreased blood flow from increased viscosity. See Multiple Myeloma and Paraproteinemia |
| Hypoglycemia | Insulinoma; benign and malignant smooth muscle tumors; large mesenchymal tumors; others | Rare; insulinoma | Involves the excess production of insulin or insulin-like factors or excessive glucose utilization. See Insulinoma |
| Immune complex disorders | Lymphocytic leukemia; primary erythrocytosis | Lymphoma | Secondary to antigen-antibody–immune complex activation; glomerulonephritis is most recognized problem |
| Myasthenia gravis | Thymoma; others | Very rare; thymoma | Exact mechanism is unknown, likely immune-mediated, may be due to effects of follicular helper T-cells. See Myasthenia Gravis |
| Myelofibrosis | Assorted | Assorted | See Myelodysplastic Syndromes |
| Neutrophilic leukocytosis | Hemangiosarcoma; lymphoma; others | Assorted; lymphoma, carcinomas and sarcomas | Production of a granulocyte-monocyte stimulating cytokine is likely cause |
| Nodular dermatofibrosis | Renal cystadenoma or cystadenocarcinoma primarily in German shepherds and shepherd crosses. Also reported in one golden retriever | Not reported | Mechanism is unknown but involves proliferation of fibroblasts. Propensity to develop is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. May be linked to chromosome 5. Loss of heterozygosity/function of the FLCN gene may contribute to neoplastic transformation of renal epithelial cells. Renal tumors are usually slowly progressive and almost always bilateral |
| Pemphigus | Rare, reported in one case of mediastinal lymphoma and one splenic sarcoma | Not reported | Autoimmunity to target antigens (periplakin and envoplakin) in the skin |
| Peripheral nerve syndromes | Various | Not reported | Unknown, but usually subclinical and secondary to changes in myelination |
| Polycythemia | Renal sarcoma and carcinoma; others | Renal carcinoma | Inappropriate secretion of erythropoietin or erythropoietin-like peptides. See Polycythemia and Polycythemia Vera |
| Superficial necrolytic dermatitis (metabolic epidermal necrosis, hepatocutaneous syndrome, necrolytic migratory erythema) | Hepatic neoplasia; pancreatic neoplasia (glucagonoma) | Pancreatic neoplasia (glucagonoma) | Many names used to describe similar clinical entities; usually observed in patients with hepatic disease and less commonly with glucagon-secreting pancreatic tumors; sometimes referred to as glucagonoma syndrome; exact mechanism is unclear; may see associated glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus |
| Thrombocytopathy | Immunoglobulin-secreting tumors | Immunoglobulin-secreting tumors | Immunoglobulin molecules inhibit normal platelet aggregation. See Thrombocytopathies |
| Thrombocytopenia | Lyphoma, multiple myeloma, hemangiosarcoma, others | Lymphoma, others | Thrombocytopenia, primary immune mediated or secondary to myelophthisis. See Thrombocytopenia |
| Thrombocytosis | Myeloproliferative disorders | Myeloproliferative disorders | Overproduction of cytokines that stimulate thrombopoietin production (e.g., interleukin-1, -3, -6, -11) |