Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Progression of aural plaques to squamous cell carcinoma in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary dermatology
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Peters-Kennedy, Jeanine et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Biomedical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 28-year-old thoroughbred gelding was found to have a condition called aural plaques, which are raised, pale tan growths on the ear, and a mass that turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) on the same ear. The horse had multiple plaques covering a large part of the ear, and some of these plaques merged into an ulcerated mass. Tests confirmed the presence of both the plaques and the cancer, and a specific virus linked to these plaques was also found in the cancer tissue. This case highlights that aural plaques can potentially develop into squamous cell carcinoma, which had not been reported before.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aural plaques are associated with and thought to be caused by one or more Equus caballus papillomaviruses (EcPV). Aural plaques have not previously been reported to be associated with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe a horse with aural plaques and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on the right pinna. ANIMALS: A 28-year-old thoroughbred gelding presented for multiple plaques and a mass on the right pinna. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Pinnal resection, histopathological investigation, multiple conventional PCRs for papillomavirus DNA and Sanger sequencing were performed. RESULTS: Multiple, raised, pale tan, fronded plaques covered 60% of the concave surface of the right pinna. Focally these plaques coalesced into an exophytic ulcerated mass near the base of the pinna. Multiple aural plaques and a SCC were diagnosed histopathologically. EcPV4 was detected via PCR in a sample of the SCC. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This report demonstrates the possibility of malignant transformation from aural plaques to SCC on the pinna of a horse. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of EcPV4 associated with SCC.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33463825/