Hematologic Abnormalities in the Small Animal Cancer Patient

This article reviews the major hematologic abnormalities that may be identified in small animal cancer patients, including increases or decreases in circulating blood cells, coagulopathies, and plasma protein dyscrasias. These hematologic alterations may be hallmark features of certain malignancies and thus may serve as biomarkers of response to treatment or remission status, may complicate the therapeutic approach to the underlying tumor, and may have prognostic relevance. The etiopathogenesis, clinical significance, and tumor types most frequently associated with each of these abnormalities will be discussed. Where appropriate, a comparative review of similar hematologic findings in human cancer patients will be reviewed.