What is Malignant Histiocytosis?
Histiocytes are a kind of white blood cell that derives from the bone marrow. Their purpose is to latch on to material that should not be in the body and dispose of them. From the bone marrow, they travel to different organs in the body to help keep them healthy. Dogs that have Malignant Histiocytosis have too many histiocytes in their bodies, which can then accumulate in certain areas and form tumors. Malignant Histiocytosis is the most aggressive of the histiocytic disorders, as many tumors can form at the same time. Malignant Histiocytosis very commonly metastasizes to the lungs, forming multiple tumors, and can also be found in the spleen, lymph nodes, liver and bone marrow.
