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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Veterinary Clinical Pathology

Fine‐Needle Aspirate Cytology of Feline Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in Two Cats

  • Karuna Katariwala1
  • Martim Matias2
  • Isabel Amores‐Fuster3
  • Doroteia Bota4
  • Guido Rocchigiani5
  • Carolina Naranjo6
  • Nazaré Pinto da Cunha7
  • Martina Piviani1
7 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
  2. 2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine–Lusófona University–Lisbon University Center Lisbon Portugal
  3. 3Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Science University of Liverpool Neston UK
  4. 4Anicura Restelo Veterinary Hospital Lisbon Portugal
  5. 5Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Leahurst Campus University of Liverpool Neston UK
  6. 6IDEXX Laboratories Barcelona Spain
  7. 7Vedis – Veterinary Expertise in Diagnosis Porto Portugal
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Abstract

Feline pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (FPLCH) is a rare histiocytic disorder in cats, usually diagnosed post‐mortem following natural death or euthanasia for severe respiratory distress. Antemortem diagnosis has been reported only once, achieved by cytologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid combined with immunocytochemistry, whereas fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) of lung nodules was previously reported as non‐diagnostic. Here we describe two cases of FPLCH in which cytology of ultrasound‐guided lung‐nodule FNA yielded diagnostic material, including from one cat with an atypical clinical presentation. Whereas case 1 presented with severe respiratory distress, case 2 had no respiratory signs. Both specimens were highly cellular and composed of atypical cells morphologically most consistent with histiocytes showing moderate atypia. A combination of postmortem gross, histopathologic, immunophenotypic, and ultrastructural findings confirmed the cytologic suspicion of FPLCH. To our knowledge, this is the first cytologic description of FPLCH in FNA samples from lung nodules and the first report of a confirmed case without respiratory signs.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{katariwala2026fineneedle,
  title = {{Fine‐Needle Aspirate Cytology of Feline Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in Two Cats}},
  author = {Karuna Katariwala and Martim Matias and Isabel Amores‐Fuster and Doroteia Bota and Guido Rocchigiani and Carolina Naranjo and Nazaré Pinto da Cunha and Martina Piviani},
  journal = {Veterinary Clinical Pathology},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1111/vcp.70141},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.70141},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Fine‐Needle Aspirate Cytology of Feline Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in Two Cats
AU  - Karuna Katariwala
AU  - Martim Matias
AU  - Isabel Amores‐Fuster
AU  - Doroteia Bota
AU  - Guido Rocchigiani
AU  - Carolina Naranjo
AU  - Nazaré Pinto da Cunha
AU  - Martina Piviani
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/14
JO  - Veterinary Clinical Pathology
DO  - 10.1111/vcp.70141
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.70141
AB  - Feline pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (FPLCH) is a rare histiocytic disorder in cats, usually diagnosed post‐mortem following natural death or euthanasia for severe respiratory distress. Antemortem diagnosis has been reported only once, achieved by cytologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid combined with immunocytochemistry, whereas fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) of lung nodules was previously reported as non‐diagnostic. Here we describe two cases of FPLCH in which cytology of ultrasound‐guided lung‐nodule FNA yielded diagnostic material, including from one cat with an atypical clinical presentation. Whereas case 1 presented with severe respiratory distress, case 2 had no respiratory signs. Both specimens were highly cellular and composed of atypical cells morphologically most consistent with histiocytes showing moderate atypia. A combination of postmortem gross, histopathologic, immunophenotypic, and ultrastructural findings confirmed the cytologic suspicion of FPLCH. To our knowledge, this is the first cytologic description of FPLCH in FNA samples from lung nodules and the first report of a confirmed case without respiratory signs.
SN  - 0275-6382
SN  - 1939-165X
ER  -