Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Merkel cell cancer in cats: neck tumors and survival after surgery
By Sumi, A et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2018·Diagnostic Laboratory, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical features and outcomes of Merkel cell carcinoma in 20 cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 cats with Merkel cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, had tumors mostly on their necks and heads. After surgery to remove the tumors, many cats faced a poor prognosis, with 12 unfortunately passing away within a year. The average survival time after surgery was about 243 days, and most cats experienced tumor recurrence or metastasis, even when the surgical margins appeared clear. This highlights the aggressive nature of this cancer in cats and the need for close monitoring after treatment.
People also search for: cat skin cancer prognosis · Merkel cell carcinoma in cats · cat tumor removal recovery · signs of cancer in cats
Abstract
The biological behaviour and prognostic factors of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in 20 cats were studied. The tumours were surgically removed and histopathologically examined. The animals were 8 to 20 years old (median age: 14 years), and the tumours were predominantly located in the neck and head. Follow-up data were available in 17 cases, and 12 cats died within a year of surgery. The overall median survival time after resection was 243 days (range 16-360 days). Recurrence occurred in 11 cases, although 6 of them (55%) were found to be margin-negative. Possible metastasis occurred after the surgery in 10 cases, although 6 of them (60%) were found to be margin-negative. The histopathological features of MCC included tumour necrosis in 16 cases (80%), vascular invasion in 6 cases (38%) and high mitotic counts (median: 28.5 per high-power field). Irregular acanthosis was noted adjacent to the tumours in 9 cases (60%). Immunohistochemically, the tumour cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK) 20 and p63 in all cases, synaptophysin in 19 (95%) cases, and CK18 in 16 cases (80%). The study shows that feline MCC is associated with a poor prognosis and exhibited a strong tendency towards local recurrence, regional lymph node metastasis and distant spread.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30022593/