Renal lymphoma is lymphoma in the kidneys. In cats it is the one kidney tumour that is not rare, and it is the main renal cancer to know for the NAVLE. Because the treatment is chemotherapy rather than nephrectomy, recognising it quickly changes what you do next.
Key facts
Kidney lymphoma at a glance- Species and system: cat, kidney (urinary), and a form of lymphoma.
- Frequency: with the exception of renal lymphoma, renal neoplasia is rare in cats (MSD). Renal lymphoma was 3.6% of 740 feline lymphoma cases in one referral series, and about half of the renal cases had multicentric disease.
- Classic presentation: a middle-aged to older cat with weight loss, inappetence, polyuria and polydipsia, azotemia and enlarged, irregular kidneys.
- Diagnosis: ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology.
- Treatment: combination chemotherapy, not surgery; guarded prognosis, with a recognised risk of CNS involvement.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 1 figure, 3 self-test questions and 4 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.