Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog born with large pigmented skin patch that turned cancerous at 5
By Valentine et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·1999·Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Malignant transformation of a giant congenital pigmented nevus (hamartoma) in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male Golden Retriever developed a tumor on his leg that originated from a large area of abnormal skin he was born with. This area, known as a giant congenital pigmented nevus (hamartoma), transformed into a malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Unfortunately, within six months, the cancer spread to other parts of his body, including the stifle and inguinal regions. This case is notable because it appears to be the first reported instance of such a transformation in dogs.
People also search for: dog skin tumor treatment · Golden Retriever melanoma symptoms · congenital pigmented nevus in dogs
Abstract
A male Golden Retriever was born with a large area of abnormal skin and hair on the distal pelvic limb. A tumour arose from the proximal margin of this area at 5 years of age. Histopathological examination of the abnormal area of skin revealed an area in which follicles were surrounded by nodular accumulations of densely packed round to spindle-shaped cells with fine granular intracytoplasmic melanin. Similar cells were present within the subcutaneous fat, and clusters of densely pigmented melanocytes were scattered within the basal epidermis, follicular epithelium, and dermis. A diagnosis of giant congenital pigmented nevus (hamartoma) was made. The tumour from the proximal end of this area was composed of densely packed, moderately pleomorphic, poorly differentiated and pigmented, spindle-shaped to epithelioid melanocytes, and was diagnosed as malignant melanoma. Metastasis of the malignant melanoma to the stifle and inguinal regions occurred within 6 months. To date, the authors are unaware of prior reports of a canine giant congenital pigmented nevus (hamartoma) with transformation to a malignant melanoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34644925/