Periocular neurofibrosarcoma in a horse.

The research article discusses the treatment and management of a case of periorbital neurofibrosarcoma in a 5-year-old mare using surgery and intralesional injections of cisplatin. The horse indicated positive response to the treatment and showed no signs of recurrence over a follow-up period of 15 months.

Treatment of a Periocular Neurofibrosarcoma in a Horse

• The research focused on a specific case of a 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare presenting with a periocular neurofibrosarcoma. A periocular neurofibrosarcoma is a cancerous tumor affecting the nervous tissues around the eye region.
• The horse had a 1-year-old history of a slow-growing subcutaneous mass over its right supraorbital process. The supraorbital process corresponds to the area above the eye socket.
• The mass was surgically removed in a process known as debulking. This procedure aims to reduce the size of the tumor.

Intralesional Cisplatin Treatment

• Following the surgical removal of the tumor, the horse was treated with intralesional injections of cisplatin.
• Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in the treatment of various types of malignancies, including neurofibrosarcoma. Intralesional refers to the process of directly injecting the drug into the tumor site.
• The concentration administered was 1.0mg/cm3 of cisplatin, injected in 3 doses at intervals of 2 weeks, 5 weeks, and 8 weeks after the surgery.

Follow-up and Results

• The horse was closely monitored for 15 months post-treatment, during which no signs of the recurrence of the tumor were observed.
• The observation suggests the effectiveness of the combined treatment approach of debulking and cisplatin injections in managing equine periocular neurofibrosarcoma.
• Confirmation of the cancerous mass as a neurofibrosarcoma came from histopathological examination, which involves studying the changes in tissues caused by disease.