Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with fluid in chest due to ovarian cancer
By Morris, D D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1985·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pleural effusion secondary to metastasis of an ovarian adenocarcinoma in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old Quarter Horse mare was brought in because she had swelling in her belly and fluid in her chest, which was caused by cancer that had spread from her ovaries. A procedure to remove fluid from her chest showed a large amount of thin, blood-tinged fluid, and tests on that fluid revealed abnormal cells that indicated cancer. Further examination after she was euthanized showed a large tumor in her chest and a significantly enlarged left ovary filled with abnormal tissue and cysts. The diagnosis confirmed that she had ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, the treatment did not work, and the mare was euthanized.
Abstract
An 11-year-old Quarter Horse mare was presented with ventral edema and pleural effusion, secondary to a disseminated ovarian adenocarcinoma. Bilateral thoracocentesis yielded 30 L of thin, blood-tinged fluid, which was a modified transudate. Cytologic examination of the fluid revealed large atypical cells, suggestive of carcinomatous neoplasia. Similar cells were found in the peritoneal fluid. The mare was euthanatized. Necropsy revealed a 35-cm diameter mass in the cranial mediastinum, ventral to the trachea. The left ovary was 25 cm in diameter and most of the parenchyma was replaced by red or brown friable tissue, containing numerous 1-to 3-mm cysts. Papillary adenocarcinoma of the ovary was diagnosed, based on the appearance and arrangement of tumor cells in the ovary, sublumbar and tracheobronchial lymph nodes, and mediastinal mass. Ovarian neoplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion in the horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4030465/