Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with eye mass diagnosed with cancer - what to know
By Knickelbein, Kelly E et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2019·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Limbal squamous cell carcinoma in a Rocky Mountain Horse: Case report and investigation of genetic contribution.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A Rocky Mountain Horse stallion was brought in for a mass on his right eye, which was diagnosed as limbal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of skin cancer. The horse underwent surgery to remove the mass and received strontium irradiation as part of his treatment. Genetic testing revealed that he carried a specific risk factor associated with this type of cancer. After treatment, the horse's condition was confirmed as SCC, and further studies are suggested to explore the genetic risks in more horses of this breed.
People also search for: Rocky Mountain Horse eye cancer treatment · limbal squamous cell carcinoma in horses · horse eye mass surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To document a case of limbal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a Rocky Mountain Horse stallion determined to be homozygous for the genetic risk factor (DDB2 c.1013C>T) strongly associated with the disease in Haflinger and Belgian horses, and to determine the frequency of this allele in a larger population of Rocky Mountain Horses. ANIMALS STUDIED: One privately owned Rocky Mountain Horse and 84 Rocky Mountain Horses screened for allelic frequency. PROCEDURES: A complete ophthalmic examination was performed on a Rocky Mountain Horse stallion for assessment of a mass affecting the right eye. A clinical diagnosis of suspected limbal SCC was made, and routine keratoconjunctivectomy and adjunctive strontium irradiation were performed. Genotyping for the DDB2 c.1013C > T (rs1139682898) risk variant was performed utilizing an allele-specific PCR assay on DNA isolated from whole blood and hair follicles. RESULTS: Histopathology confirmed the limbal mass to be consistent with SCC. The horse was genotyped as homozygous for the DDB2 c.1013C >T risk variant. The frequency of the variant allele among a population of 84 Rocky Mountain Horses was found to be 0.20. CONCLUSION: The Rocky Mountain Horse breed possesses the DDB2 variant allele determined to be a significant risk factor for ocular SCC in the Haflinger and Belgian breeds. Genotyping additional Rocky Mountain Horses diagnosed with ocular SCC as well as confirmed healthy controls for this variant should be undertaken to determine whether a significant association exists between ocular SCC and the variant in the Rocky Mountain Horse breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30238589/