Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eyelid wart turned cancer in a 6-year-old Chihuahua
By Wiggans, K Tomo et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2013·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Malignant transformation of a putative eyelid papilloma to squamous cell carcinoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female spayed Chihuahua was brought in because a pigmented mass on her lower right eyelid had changed and grown significantly over five months. Initially, it looked like a harmless growth, but it became larger, irregular, and flesh-colored, eventually causing a corneal ulcer. Tests confirmed that the mass was a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of skin cancer, linked to a viral infection. The dog will need further treatment to address the cancer and manage any complications from the ulcer.
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Abstract
A 6-year-old female spayed Chihuahua was presented for the evaluation of generalized pigmented cutaneous masses, one of which was present on the lower right eyelid. The dog was not on immunosuppressive medications and did not have historical or laboratory evidence of underlying endocrine disease, including hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction of a cutaneous biopsy from the left antebrachium containing representative lesions confirmed viral papillomatosis. Additionally, histopathology of the antebrachial mass revealed regions of epithelial dysplasia suggestive of possible early transformation to malignancy. Over the course of 5 months, the mass on the right lower eyelid progressed to encompass and efface the majority of the eyelid margin. Additionally, the eyelid tumor had changed from an ovoid, brown pigmented mass to an irregular, flesh-colored mass. At the dog's last recheck examination, a corneal ulcer had developed beneath the irregular dorsal margin of the tumor. Histopathology of the eyelid mass was consistent with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and was positive for the presence of papillomavirus using polymerase chain reaction. This report describes the transformation of a putative viral eyelid papilloma into a malignant SCC in an adult dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22882469/