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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #233: Feline Nasal Lymphoma

Cat veterinary case - Medium - October 22, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. An older cat has a persistent discharge from one nostril that has gradually worsened.
  2. Intermittent nosebleeds and noisy breathing develop, with reduced airflow on the affected side.
  3. CT localises a soft-tissue mass within the nasal cavity and shows adjacent bone destruction.
  4. Rhinoscopic biopsy is taken because imaging cannot identify the tumour type or exclude a fungal mimic.
  5. Histopathology of the nasal mass shows a malignant lymphoid-cell population rather than epithelial carcinoma or fungal organisms.
  6. The tissue diagnosis identifies feline nasal lymphoma as the cause of this cat's progressive nasal obstruction.

Diagnosis

Feline Nasal Lymphoma

Progressive unilateral obstruction and a destructive nasal mass demand tissue diagnosis; the biopsy's malignant lymphoid population supports feline nasal lymphoma. Carcinoma can look similar on CT, and cryptococcosis can cause chronic discharge or a mass, but neither matches the reported histopathology. Remember: CT shows where a feline nasal lesion is and what it damages; biopsy separates lymphoma from carcinoma and infectious nasal masses.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cat case supports the provided diagnosis, Feline Nasal Lymphoma, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: An older cat has a persistent discharge from one nostril that has gradually worsened.
  2. Clue 2: Intermittent nosebleeds and noisy breathing develop, with reduced airflow on the affected side.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: CT localises a soft-tissue mass within the nasal cavity and shows adjacent bone destruction.
  2. Clue 4: Rhinoscopic biopsy is taken because imaging cannot identify the tumour type or exclude a fungal mimic.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Histopathology of the nasal mass shows a malignant lymphoid-cell population rather than epithelial carcinoma or fungal organisms.
  2. Clue 6: The tissue diagnosis identifies feline nasal lymphoma as the cause of this cat's progressive nasal obstruction.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cat case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Feline Nasal Lymphoma?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Feline Nasal Lymphoma?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.