Squamous cell carcinoma of the equine stomach: a report of five cases.

The research article discusses a study on five cases of horses diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the stomach, detailing their clinical findings, blood and fluid test results, tumor origins and metastasis.

Clinical Findings on Horses

• All five horses demonstrated various symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal swelling and unusual chewing and swallowing behaviour.
• Abdominal masses were detectable via rectal examination in four out of the five horses.

Haematological and Fluid Analysis

• Blood test results showed normocytic anaemia (normal-sized, but low number of red blood cells) in three of the horses, and two horses showed neutrophilia (high number of white blood cells, particularly neutrophils) and low levels of albumin (hypoalbuminaemia).
• All five horses exhibited abnormal peritoneal fluid effusions, suggesting issues in the abdominal cavity. Neoplastic (cancerous) cells were identified in the peritoneal fluid of three horses, further indicating the presence of cancer.

Tumour Origin and Metastasis

• The SCC, a type of cancer that starts from squamous cells lining certain organs, stemmed from the cardia, the opening inside the stomach that connects to the esophagus, in all cases.
• All five horses displayed metastasis, the spread of cancer from the primary site (in this case, stomach) to other parts of the body.
• Three of these horses had many small nodules—clusters of cancerous cells—covering the entire peritoneum, possibly indicating widespread peritoneal metastasis.

Overall, these findings contribute valuable information on the diagnosis and pathological progression of equine gastric SCC, which can inform better treatment strategies.