Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors in dogs and cats: Is the human WHO classification appropriate for animals?
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Giudice, Chiara et al.
- Affiliation:
- 9304Università · Italy
Plain-English summary
Lacrimal gland tumors, which are rare growths in the glands that produce tears, were studied in dogs and cats to see if a human classification system could be applied to them. The study looked at 46 tumors from 38 dogs and 8 cats, finding that most of these tumors were carcinomas (a type of cancer) rather than adenomas (a type of benign tumor). In dogs, the most common types of tumors were pleomorphic, ductal, adenoid cystic, and epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, while in cats, the most frequent was adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified. The researchers found that using the human classification system helped identify more types of tumors in these animals. Overall, the study suggests that this classification could be useful, but more research is needed to understand how different tumor types affect outcomes.
Abstract
Lacrimal gland tumors (LGTs) in dogs and cats are rare neoplasms that can affect either the nictitans (NLG) or the main lacrimal gland (MLG). A consistent classification scheme for canine and feline LGTs is lacking; however, the importance of a classification scheme for LGTs has been emphasized in the human literature, and an update to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification has recently been published. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of different subtypes of canine and feline LGTs in accordance with the human WHO classification system. Epithelial LGTs (= 46 tumors; 38 dogs, 8 cats) were reviewed and immunophenotyping for p63, CK14, SMA, calponin, CKAE1/AE3, and CK19 was performed. Consistent with previous literature reports, lacrimal carcinomas outnumbered adenomas in dogs and cats. Based on the WHO classification of human LGTs, the most common subtypes identified in dogs were pleomorphic, ductal, adenoid cystic, and epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. In cats, a lower number of subtypes was observed, and adenocarcinoma "not otherwise specified" (NOS) was the most frequent diagnosis. An uncommon case of feline epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma was also observed. The application of the human WHO-LGT classification scheme to canine and feline tumors increased the diversity of diagnoses and allowed for the identification of numerous subtypes. Further studies to identify possible correlations between pathological subtypes and prognosis are warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34225508/