Ocular manifestations of a metastatic adenocarcinoma in a horse.
Abstract: A 10-year-old German Warmblood gelding was referred to the Equine Department of the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, for an iris mass OD, lethargy, intermittent fever, and coughing. Ophthalmic examination revealed a 7 × 9 mm raised, fleshy, whitish to pinkish, vascularized iris mass at the 2 o`clock position OD. Fundic examination showed multifocal round, brown to black, slightly raised lesions with indistinct margins and a surrounding hyperreflective zone OU. Physical examination revealed a temperature of 39.2 °C, sinus tachycardia, preputial and ventral edema, and an enlarged right mandibular lymph node. Results of a complete blood count and plasma biochemical profile showed mild anemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia. Severe splenopathy, moderate splenomegaly, and severe pulmonary pathology with nodules and large areas of consolidated lung parenchyma were observed on abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiographs, respectively. Fine needle aspirates of the enlarged mandibular lymph node showed malignant epithelial neoplastic cells. The horse was euthanized because of the poor prognosis and subsequently underwent postmortem examination. Macroscopic necropsy and histopathology revealed an adenocarcinoma of suspected pulmonary origin with involvement of eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, diaphragm, skeletal muscles, mandibular, pulmonary, and internal iliac lymph nodes. Metastatic adenocarcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in horses with iris masses, multifocal chorioretinal infiltrates, and clinical signs that conform to a paraneoplastic syndrome.
© 2012 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.
Publication Date: 2012-07-05 PubMed ID: 22762537DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-5224.2012.01042.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
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 study describes a case where a horse with an iris mass and general symptoms of illness was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that had spread from another area of the body, specifically suspected of the lungs. The metastatic adenocarcinoma had affected various organs including the horse’s eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, diaphragm, and various lymph nodes.
Case Presentation
- The study is centered around a 10-year-old German Warmblood gelding that was referred to the Equine Department of the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, with a mass on its iris, fatigue, intermittent fever, and a cough.
- Physical examination revealed abnormal body temperature, abnormal heart rhythm, swelling in the lower body parts, and an enlarged right mandibular lymph node.
- A further ophthalmologic examination revealed a large vascularized mass in the iris.
- The fundoscopic examination, aimed at examining the retina, revealed multifocal small, brown to black lesions with slightly elevated areas having indistinct margins surrounded by a bright or reflective zone in both eyes.
Diagnostic Testing
- Complete blood count and plasma biochemical profile were conducted, revealing mild anemia, increased white blood cells count (indicative of infection or inflammation), and reduced platelet count (which affects blood clotting).
- Abdominal ultrasound showed serious spleen disease (splenopathy) and its enlargement (splenomegaly). Thoracic radiographs showed severe lung diseases with nodules and large consolidated areas.
- Examination of samples from the enlarged lymph node showed cancerous cells, indicating a presence of neoplasm.
Clinical Outcome and Discussion
- Due to the poor prognosis, the horse was euthanized and a postmortem examination was conducted. This revealed that the horse was affected by adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that had originated possibly in the lungs and had spread to various organs including the eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and skeletal muscles, including various lymph nodes.
- The study concluded that metastatic adenocarcinoma should be considered as a possible diagnosis in horses presenting with the symptoms described; iris masses, multifocal chorioretinal infiltrates (spotted inflammation in the retina), and signs that are characteristic of a paraneoplastic syndrome (a set of signs arising from an immune response to neoplasia).
Cite This Article
APA
Matheis FL, Birkmann K, Ruetten M, Pot SA, Spiess BM.
(2012).
Ocular manifestations of a metastatic adenocarcinoma in a horse.
Vet Ophthalmol, 16(3), 214-218.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-5224.2012.01042.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. fmatheis@vetclinics.uzh.ch
MeSH Terms
- Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
- Adenocarcinoma / pathology
- Adenocarcinoma / veterinary
- Animals
- Eye Neoplasms / diagnosis
- Eye Neoplasms / secondary
- Eye Neoplasms / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis
- Lung Neoplasms / pathology
- Male
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Ostendarp C, Barton AK. Intraocular Tumors in Horses: Diagnosis, Tumor Classification, Oncologic Assessment and Therapy. Vet Sci 2025 Oct 17;12(10).
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
