Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Equine renal hemangiosarcoma: clinical presentation, pathologic features, and pSTAT3 expression.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Hughes, Katherine et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Hemangiosarcoma is a rare type of tumor that can occur in horses, and this study looked at three cases of renal (kidney) hemangiosarcoma. The horses showed signs like gradual weight loss, and one horse had a nosebleed along with other signs of abdominal pain. The tumors had different appearances under the microscope, with one showing a unique structure called the epithelioid variant. Researchers also looked at a specific protein, pSTAT3, which may play a role in how these tumors develop; they found that about 40% of the cells in the epithelioid case showed strong pSTAT3 activity, while the other two cases had weaker and more variable results. Overall, the study provided insights into the characteristics of this rare tumor in horses.
Abstract
Hemangiosarcoma is an uncommon tumor in horses. We characterized 3 cases of equine renal hemangiosarcoma, focusing on clinical and pathologic features, and describe occurrence of the epithelioid variant of hemangiosarcoma in one of these cases. Nuclear expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) was assessed to analyze potential inappropriate STAT3 activation as a component of tumor pathogenesis. Clinical signs in the 3 horses included insidious weight loss, followed in one case by serosanguineous nasal discharge and terminal epistaxis, and nonspecific signs of abdominal pain. Two of the hemangiosarcomas had a classical histopathologic appearance; in the other, neoplastic cells were polygonal and were arranged in densely packed sheets, resembling the epithelioid variant. Cross-reactivity of a pSTAT3 antibody was established by demonstration of pSTAT3 expression in the epithelium of glabrous skin by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. In the epithelioid hemangiosarcoma, ~40% of neoplastic cells exhibited nuclear pSTAT3 expression, but in the other 2 cases, expression was weak and variable in the neoplastic population, although stromal cell pSTAT3 activity was evident in pulmonary metastases in one case.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29199537/