Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intrahepatic mucinous cholangiocarcinoma with recurrent colic in a horse case report and literature review of cholangiocarcinoma in horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Barrantes Murillo, Daniel Felipe et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 17-year-old Arabian mare was taken to the veterinary hospital because she had been experiencing mild, recurring episodes of colic, which is abdominal pain, for a long time. Blood tests showed some unusual results, including low white blood cell counts and elevated levels of certain enzymes and sugars. Despite treatment, her condition worsened, and the owner decided to euthanize her. A postmortem examination revealed that she had a rare type of cancer called cholangiocarcinoma, which affects the bile ducts, and it was mostly made up of mucin, a jelly-like substance. Unfortunately, this type of cancer is very uncommon in horses and can show vague symptoms like colic, making it hard to diagnose early.
Abstract
A 17-y-old Arabian mare was presented to the Auburn Large Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a long-term history of intermittent mild recurrent colic that responded to medical treatment. CBC revealed mild lymphopenia; serum biochemistry findings were of increased gamma-glutamyl transferase and creatine kinase activities, hyperferremia, hyperglycemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypokalemia. Abdominocentesis was compatible with low-protein transudate. Due to the progression and duration of clinical signs, the owner elected euthanasia. Postmortem examination and histopathology confirmed a cholangiocarcinoma. The neoplastic cells were arranged in large cysts containing lakes of mucin that comprised 90% of the tumor volume; thus, a mucinous variant was determined. The neoplastic cells had strong cytoplasmic immunolabeling for cytokeratin 19 and lacked immunolabeling for hepatocyte paraffin 1, supporting bile duct origin. Cholangiocarcinomas are infrequent tumors in horses with nonspecific and slow progressive clinical signs, including recurrent colic. Mucinous cholangiocarcinomas are seldom reported in veterinary medicine and, to our knowledge, have not been reported previously in horses.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38641993/