Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Differences in skin and under-skin mast cell tumors in dogs
By Minnoye, Stella et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2024·Anicura Dierenkliniek Randstad·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Histopathological features of subcutaneous and cutaneous mast cell tumors in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a skin lump was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor (MCT), which is a common type of skin cancer in dogs. Researchers studied the differences between two types of MCTs: those found just under the skin (subcutaneous) and those found in the skin itself (cutaneous). They found that subcutaneous MCTs were more likely to be graded as high risk compared to cutaneous ones. This means that subcutaneous tumors may be more aggressive and could require more careful monitoring and treatment. If your dog has a lump, it's important to have it checked by a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment options.
People also search for: dog skin lump treatment · mast cell tumor in dogs · subcutaneous tumor in dogs · dog cancer prognosis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are the most common malignant skin neoplasms in dogs. In the past, the distinction between cutaneous MCTs (cMCTs), originating from the dermis, and subcutaneous MCTs (scMCTs), originating from the subcutaneous tissue, was not made. Histopathological differentiation, including grading, is important for prognosis. However, the Patnaik and Kiupel grading systems were proposed for cMCTs only. The objective of our study was to describe and compare the signalment of dogs with scMCTs and cMCTs and histopathological features, anticipating similarities in both groups. Data of dogs histologically diagnosed with scMCTs or cMCTs between September 2020 and July 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Signalment, tumor location, histopathological features, completeness of removal and lymph node status were recorded. RESULTS: Data on 305 scMCTs and 1291 cMCTs were collected. Breed distribution was different between scMCTs and cMCTs (P < 0.0001). Mitotic count (MC) was not different between scMCTs (1.63) and cMCTs (1.58) (P = 0.8490). Compared to cMCTs, scMCTs more often had anisokaryosis, bizarre nuclei and multinucleation. Kiupel high grade was more often assigned to scMCTs (51/292, 17.5%) than cMCTs (154/1291, 11.9%) (P = 0.009). The odds of MCTs being assigned a high grade in scMCT was 1.578 higher than in cMCTs (95% confidence interval [1.116-2.232]). CONCLUSIONS: Histopathological differences between scMCTs and cMCTs were observed. A Kiupel high grade was more often assigned to scMCTs than cMCTs. Whether these histopathological findings correlate with clinical outcome has to be established in additional studies.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39354622/