Metastatic myxosarcoma in a Quarter Horse gelding.
Abstract: A 22-y-old Quarter Horse gelding was presented to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital for evaluation of increased heart rate and mild colic signs. Rectal examination revealed a large left perirenal mass. Abdominal ultrasonography further confirmed this finding. Thoracic ultrasonography indicated multifocal irregularities on the pleural surface suggestive of consolidation and possibly masses in the lungs. The animal was euthanized. Autopsy findings included a large, firm, expansile, gelatinous retroperitoneal mass that surrounded both kidneys, as well as nodules with similar morphology in the lungs, liver, intestinal mesentery, cecum, and caudal mesenteric artery. Histologically, the masses were composed of neoplastic stellate-to-spindloid cells in abundant mucinous stroma. Neoplastic cells exhibited strong immunoreactivity for vimentin and were negative for pancytokeratin (A1/A3), CD3, CD20, melan A, and synaptophysin. Mucinous stroma was strongly positive with alcian blue and weakly positive with periodic acid-Schiff histochemical staining. These findings are consistent with metastatic myxosarcoma. Myxosarcoma is a rare neoplasm in horses, and metastasis to tissues other than sentinel lymph nodes has not been described previously to our knowledge.
Publication Date: 2017-07-05 PubMed ID: 28677418PubMed Central: PMC6504144DOI: 10.1177/1040638717719480Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article documents a case study of a 22-year-old Quarter Horse gelding that was diagnosed with metastatic myxosarcoma, a rare cancer in horses. The horse was presented with an increased heart rate and mild colic, and subsequent examinations revealed several masses in various parts of its body. This is the first known documentation of the disease metastasizing beyond sentinel lymph nodes in a horse.
Case Presentation
- The horse was taken to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital due to an elevated heart rate and signs of mild colic, which is abdominal pain.
- The preliminary rectal examination revealed a large left perirenal mass, which was confirmed via abdominal ultrasonography.
- Additional thoracic ultrasonography found irregularities on the pleural surface, suggesting possible lung masses.
Post-mortem Findings
- Following the horse’s euthanization, an autopsy was carried out.
- The autopsy revealed a large, gelatinous retroperitoneal mass surrounding both kidneys.
- Similar masses were discovered in the lungs, liver, intestinal mesentery, cecum, and caudal mesenteric artery.
Biopsy Diagnostics
- The masses consisted of neoplastic stellate-to-spindloid cells in a mucous stroma, or connective tissue, a histology often seen in myxosarcoma.
- The neoplastic cells were strongly reactive to vimentin, a characteristic protein of mesenchymal cells, while showing no reaction to pancytokeratin (A1/A3), CD3, CD20, melan A, and synaptophysin, which may have suggested other types of tumors.
- Mucinous stroma was strongly positive with alcian blue and weakly positive with periodic acid-Schiff histochemical staining, which often indicates the presence of cancer.
- Based on these findings, the diagnosis was confirmed as metastatic myxosarcoma, a rare kind of cancer in horses.
Unprecedented Metastasis
- The study highlights an unprecedented case of myxosarcoma in a horse, not only in the rarity of the cancer type itself but also in the extent of its spread or metastasis.
- This is the first reported case of myxosarcoma metastasizing to tissues other than sentinel lymph nodes in a horse, which adds new knowledge to the scientific community about the behaviour of this particular cancer type.
Cite This Article
APA
Samuelson JP, Echeverria KO, Foreman JH, Fredrickson RL, Sauberli D, Whiteley HE.
(2017).
Metastatic myxosarcoma in a Quarter Horse gelding.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 30(1), 121-125.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638717719480 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
- Departments of Pathobiology (Samuelson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Echeverria, Foreman), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Samuelson, Fredrickson, Whiteley), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
- Central Illinois Veterinary Services, Urbana, Illinois (Sauberli).
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Euthanasia, Animal
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Myxosarcoma / pathology
- Myxosarcoma / veterinary
- Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / pathology
- Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / veterinary
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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