Adenocarcinoma of the intestine in a horse: an unusual occurrence.
Abstract: CARCINOMAS of the small intestine, colon and rectum are relatively rare in domestic animals (Cotchin 1960; Jubb and Kennedy 1970; Meagher, Wheat, Tennant and Osburn 1974; Moulton 1978). A survey of 333 tumours in farm animals revealed 39 horse neoplasms (Misdorp 1967). Twenty-eight of those were from horses in an abattoir survey in which 20,000 horses were slaughtered (an incidence of 0.14 per cent). The remaining 11 were tumours sent in by meat inspectors. Only four of the 39 were present in the digestive system. Two of them were metastasising squamous cell carcinomas in the stomach and the other two were unspecified. Cotchin (1960) examined 452 turnours, 90 of which were from the horse. Thirteen of these were from the alimentary system, and only one was a carcinoma. The most common intestinal tumour was lymphosarcoma. In Cotchin’s summary of the tumours of importance, alimentary tract tumours were not represented. Other reports in the literature of carcinomas of the gastro- intestinal tract of the horse indicate that gastric squamous cell carcinoma is the most widely recorded (Kraus 1932; Keown 1956 ; Damodaran and Ramachandran 1970; Meagher et a1 1974). An unusually sited carcinoma in the alimentary tract of the horse is described here.
Publication Date: 1984-03-01 PubMed ID: 6325147DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1984.tb01881.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research study discusses a rare case of adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer) in the intestine of a horse. The horse presented symptoms of persistent colic (abdominal pain), and post-mortem analysis confirmed the presence of a cancerous mass in the intestinal tract.
Overview of the Study
- The research explores a rare case of adenocarcinoma in a 13-year-old Thoroughbred cross mare, which was referred to the Royal Veterinary College with a three-week history of intermittent colic.
- The carcinoma, in this case, occurred in the horse’s alimentary tract (part of the digestive system), an unusual location cited in existing medical literature.
- The mare’s condition deteriorated during the study with a sudden abdominal catastrophe, leading to the animal’s euthanization.
- Exploratory surgery and post-mortem examination revealed a large, hard, constricting mass in the right ventral colon.
- Postmortem examination also revealed a rupture in the caecum (a part of horse’s digestive system), which was attributed to intense inflammation and the presence of the carcinoma.
Findings and Observations
- A post-mortem analysis confirmed the existence of a 10 cm mass around the base of the caecum and the beginning of the right ventral colon.
- The mucosal surface of the mass was haemorrhagic, necrotic, and ulcerated, indicative of carcinoma.
- The histological diagnosis confirmed the mass as a mucus-secreting adenocarcinoma and revealed that malignant cells had infiltrated both the submucosa and muscular layers of the caecum and colon.
Implications and Recommendations
- The study emphasized that, although rare, adenocarcinoma of the large intestine in horses should be considered in the differential diagnosis of animals showing signs of protracted colic resulting from partial large intestinal obstruction.
- It was suggested that bouts of distension proximal to the obstruction lead to the rupture of various layers of the caecum, eventually leading to gross contamination of the peritoneal cavity with ingesta (ill-digested food).
- The carcinoma, despite its relative small size, was large enough to almost block the lumen at the caeco-colic junction, indicating the potential severity of such occurrences.
Cite This Article
APA
Wright JA, Edwards GB.
(1984).
Adenocarcinoma of the intestine in a horse: an unusual occurrence.
Equine Vet J, 16(2), 136-137.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1984.tb01881.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / pathology
- Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / veterinary
- Animals
- Cecal Neoplasms / pathology
- Cecal Neoplasms / veterinary
- Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
- Colonic Neoplasms / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Intestinal Mucosa / pathology
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Nolf M, Maninchedda U, Belluco S, Lepage O, Cadoré JL. Cecal vascular hamartoma causing recurrent colic in an Arabian mare. Can Vet J 2014 Jun;55(6):547-50.
- Harvey-Micay J. Intestinal adenocarcinoma causing recurrent colic in the horse. Can Vet J 1999 Oct;40(10):729-30.
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