Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Adrenocortical carcinoma in a 12-year-old mare.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 1994
- Authors:
- van der Kolk, J H et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Medicine and Nutrition · Netherlands
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was taken to the vet because she had been experiencing intermittent colic (abdominal pain) for a few years and had lost weight recently. During the examination, the vet found a large, firm mass in her abdomen, which was later identified as an adrenocortical carcinoma, a type of cancer affecting the adrenal glands. Although her cortisol levels were normal, indicating that the tumor was not causing hormonal issues, it was noted that this type of tumor is rare in horses. Unfortunately, the mare's condition was serious, and the outcome was not favorable.
Abstract
A 12-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was examined because it had suffered colic intermittently for a few years and had lost weight in the previous two months. Palpation per rectum revealed a large firm mass in the left sublumbar region; the mass was classified post mortem as an adrenocortical carcinoma. The basal plasma cortisol concentration (at 10.00) of the mare was 94 nmol/litre, within the normal range. As in another case of adrenocortical neoplasm, a functional tumour could not be demonstrated. Only one of the 21 horses with a neoplasm of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis examined by the authors, had the tumour in the adrenal gland.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8171770/