Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A subcutaneous mass on the neck of a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary clinical pathology
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Brown, Holly M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 25-year-old Arabian gelding was brought in because of a lump on his neck. Tests showed that the lump was made up of mast cells, which are a type of immune cell, along with some eosinophils, another kind of immune cell. The examination of the tissue confirmed that it was a mast cell tumor, which is a type of skin tumor that is usually not serious in horses. These tumors are typically benign, meaning they are not cancerous and don't spread to other parts of the body, and removing them through surgery is usually enough to treat the problem. In this case, surgical removal is expected to completely resolve the issue.
Abstract
A 25-year-old Arabian gelding was presented for investigation of a subcutaneous neck mass. Fine-needle aspirates and impression smears revealed mast cells with widely varying degrees of cytoplasmic granulation and scattered eosinophils. Histopathology revealed a poorly circumscribed mass composed of sheets and bundles of mast cells with a large population of eosinophils. The mast cells were separated into numerous lobules by a heavy collagenous stroma, and multifocal collagen necrosis was present. Strong reactivity of the tumor cells for both Giemsa and toluidine blue stains confirmed the diagnosis of a mast cell tumor, and a Luna stain accentuated the eosinophilic infiltrates. Cutaneous mast cell tumors are found in many domestic animals but are uncommonly encountered in horses. Equine cutaneous mast cell tumors are usually benign, and there are no reports of visceral metastasis. Surgical excision is thought to be curative.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17311206/