Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Common tumors in European Shorthair cats by age and sex
By Manuali, Elisabetta et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Umbria and Marche 'Togo Rosati', Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tumours in European Shorthair cats: a retrospective study of 680 cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of European Shorthair cats was studied to understand the types of tumors they develop, with a focus on those diagnosed between 2013 and 2019. The most common tumors found were skin tumors, particularly squamous cell carcinoma, which is often linked to sun exposure. Other tumors affected areas like the mammary glands and the digestive tract. Most of the tumors were malignant, meaning they could spread and cause serious health issues. This information can help cat owners be more aware of potential health risks for their pets, especially those living in sunny areas.
People also search for: European Shorthair cat tumors · squamous cell carcinoma in cats · cat skin cancer symptoms · cat mammary gland tumors · signs of cancer in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Naturally occurring tumours in domestic cats are less common than in dogs and represent the leading cause of death among older animals. The main objective of this study was to analyse a large data set of histologically diagnosed tumours to highlight the most common World Health Organization (WHO) tumour histotypes, the effect of age and sex, and the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) topographical site predilections of feline breed-specific tumours. METHODS: A total of 680 feline tumours diagnosed in European Shorthair cats by three veterinary diagnostic laboratories located in central Italy from 2013 to 2019 were collected. Data on age, sex and topography of lesions were recorded. Samples were morphologically and topographically coded using the WHO and the ICD-O-3 classification system. RESULTS: Skin and soft tissue neoplasms comprised 55.9% of all tumours, followed by mammary gland (11%), alimentary tract (7.9%), oral cavity and tongue (7.3%), nasal cavity and middle ear (6%), lymph node (3.1%), bone (1.8%) and liver/intrahepatic bile duct (1.3%) tumours. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), sarcoma, lymphoma and basal cell tumours were the most diagnosed neoplasms. Malignant tumours were 82.9% of the total and the topographical sites mainly involved were skin (C44), connective/subcutaneous/other soft tissues (C49), mammary gland (C50), small intestine (C17), nasal cavity and middle ear (C30), and gum (C03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study aimed to provide an in-depth evaluation of spontaneous feline tumours in the European Shorthair cat breed. Results identify SCC as the most commonly represented skin neoplasm. It is likely that the analysed feline population, living in southern latitudes, was more subject to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, explaining the discrepancy with previous studies in which SCC was less represented.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32048893/