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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(22); doi: 10.3390/ani12223090

From Keratoma to Anaplastic Malignant Melanoma in a Horse’s Hoof.

Abstract: Melanomas in horses are most often associated with gray, older horses with an average age of over 16 years. Anaplastic malignant melanoma, however, can very rarely affect non-gray horses. Herein, we report a case of a 16-year-old Wielkopolski gelding with a chronic lameness caused by a mass in the hoof. The first resection of the lesion and histopathological examination confirmed the presence of a keratoma. The regrown mass and persistent lameness resulted in another mass resection. The second histopathological examination result suggested a neoplastic growth of melanocytic origin with a low histological malignancy. Less than 2 years after the first resection, the horse returned to the clinic with deformation of the hoof capsule and severe lameness. The result of the third histopathological examination indicated low-differentiated malignant neoplasm. The result of the immunohistochemically test indicates a tumor of melanocytic origin with high malignancy.
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Publication Date: 2022-11-09 PubMed ID: 36428318PubMed Central: PMC9686975DOI: 10.3390/ani12223090Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research study detailed the case of a 16-year-old horse suffering from chronic lameness, stemming from a mass in its hoof. Initially diagnosed as a keratoma, the study found that the horse’s condition took a significantly worse turn, developing into anaplastic malignant melanoma—a form of cancer that is very rare in horses.

Case Background

  • The horse under study was a 16-year-old Wielkopolski gelding, who had been suffering from chronic lameness.
  • The source of its pain and discomfort was found to be a mass developed in the hoof of the horse.

Initial Diagnosis

  • The medical team performed a series of tests and investigations, including mass resection and histopathological examination.
  • The initial diagnosis reported the presence of a keratoma – a benign tumor that originates in the keratin-producing epidermis layer of the skin.
  • The first resection of the lesion was successful, but the mass eventually regrew, and the horse’s lameness persisted. This led to another round of mass resection.

Subsequent Diagnosis and Developments

  • The second histopathological examination implied a neoplasm (a new and abnormal growth of tissue) of melanocytic origin—indicating the possibility of melanoma—though with low histological malignancy.
  • However, within two years of the first resection, the horse’s condition worsened further with a deformation of the hoof capsule and severe lameness.
  • Further examination suggested the growth was a low-differentiated malignant neoplasm, a rapidly growing and aggressively spreading form of cancer.
  • Results from the immunohistochemistry test confirmed the tumor was of melanocytic origin, but now with high malignancy. This implies that this was not just a case of melanoma but the more severe, and rarer, form of anaplastic malignant melanoma.

Conclusion and Significance

  • This study presents an extremely rare case of anaplastic malignant melanoma in a horse’s hoof, an illness that can cause severe lameness in the affected animal.
  • It highlights the possibility that a seemingly ‘benign’ condition like keratoma could progress to a deadly type of cancer, providing meaningful insights into equine health and diseases.

Cite This Article

APA
Stefanik E, Górski K, Turek B, Drewnowska-Szczepakowska O, Kliczkowska-Klarowicz K, Stefanik A. (2022). From Keratoma to Anaplastic Malignant Melanoma in a Horse’s Hoof. Animals (Basel), 12(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223090

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 22

Researcher Affiliations

Stefanik, Elżbieta
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Górski, Kamil
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Turek, Bernard
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Drewnowska-Szczepakowska, Olga
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Kliczkowska-Klarowicz, Katarzyna
  • Division of Pathology, Department of Pathology and Veterinary Diagnostis, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Stefanik, Aleksandra
  • Zagłębie Oncology Centre, Szpitalna 13, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Bulnes F, Argüelles D, Buzón A, García-Álamo K, Rodríguez-Gómez IM, Hernández E, Mozos E. Concomitant melanoma and keratoma affecting the equine digit: clinical, pathological, and long-term follow-up findings. BMC Vet Res 2024 Oct 1;20(1):444.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-024-04269-4pubmed: 39354566google scholar: lookup
  2. Pimenta J, Prada J, Cotovio M. Equine Melanocytic Tumors: A Narrative Review. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 10;13(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13020247pubmed: 36670786google scholar: lookup
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