This research article is about a case study of a Friesian stallion with gastric squamous cell carcinoma. It investigates the symptoms, diagnosis, and pathology of the disease, and explores the role of Equine Papillomavirus Type 2 (EcPV-2) in causing equine gastric cancer.

Case Presentation and Initial Findings

• The subject of the study was a 7-year-old Friesian stallion that showed symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, weight loss, loss of appetite, and frequently elevated body temperature. These symptoms led to an examination using a gastroscopy, a procedure that involves inserting a small camera through the horse’s esophagus to view the stomach and small intestine.
• During the gastroscopy, a large, decaying, and ulcerated mass was observed in the mucous membrane lining the stomach, around the opening of the esophagus. This initial finding pointed to a serious disease condition.

Post-mortem Examination and Diagnosis

• After the horse’s death, a detailed autopsy was conducted. The post-mortem examination revealed an extremely large, cauliflower-like tumor in the non-glandular gastric mucosa, which is the part of the stomach lining that does not produce gastric juice.
• Small, round lesions were also found scattered on the omentum (a large fold of visceral peritoneum), spleen, and liver. These observations suggested that the cancer might have spread from the stomach to these organs – a condition known as abdominal metastasis.
• The results from microscopic examination led to the identification of the disease as gastric squamous cell carcinoma, a type of stomach cancer rarely seen in horses.

Role of Equine Papillomavirus Type 2 (EcPV-2)

• The research paper also conducted biomolecular investigations to determine the causes of the gastric cancer in the horse. The presence of EcPV-2 genes was discovered in the cancerous lesions.
• This finding supports recent studies that associate the presence of EcPV-2 with equine gastric squamous cell carcinoma, implying a potential viral etiology for this disease.
• That is, the paper suggests that this particular type of gastric cancer in horses may not only be triggered by environmental factors or genetic mutations but also by viral infections such as Equine Papillomavirus Type 2.