Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rabbit thymoma removed by chest surgery with elbow tumor history
By Clippinger, T L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Removal of a thymoma via median sternotomy in a rabbit with recurrent appendicular neurofibrosarcoma.
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old rabbit was brought in because of a lump on its right elbow. During the examination, vets found another mass in the chest area, which was diagnosed as a thymoma (a type of tumor in the thymus gland) after a needle biopsy. To remove the thymoma, the vets performed surgery through the chest, allowing them to carefully access the area. They also removed the mass on the elbow, which turned out to be a neurofibrosarcoma (a type of cancer). Unfortunately, nine months later, the cancer returned at the original surgery sites, and the prognosis for this type of cancer is generally poor due to its tendency to come back.
People also search for: rabbit elbow lump · thymoma in rabbits · neurofibrosarcoma treatment in rabbits
Abstract
A 9-year-old rabbit was evaluated for a mass on the right elbow. As a result of preoperative radiography, another mass was identified in the cranial portion of the mediastinum. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration was used for cytologic evaluation of the mass in the mediastinum and resulted in a presumptive diagnosis of thymoma. A median sternotomy approach was chosen to allow wide exposure for meticulous dissection in the cranial portion of the thoracic region. Histologic examination and immunoperoxidase labeling of lymphocytes with CD3 (a T cell marker) confirmed the diagnosis. The mass on the right elbow was subsequently removed and identified as a neurofibrosarcoma. Multiple appendicular masses that developed at separate locations and distinct times were excised and classified as locally invasive primary neurofibrosarcomas. Postmortem examination 9 months after initial evaluation confirmed recurrence of the neurofibrosarcoma at previous surgical sites. Gross or histologic evidence of thymoma was not evident. Prognosis is dismal for incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas, because they are locally invasive and often recur.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9787381/