Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Colonic adenocarcinoma with osseous metaplasia in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1991
- Authors:
- Rottman, J B et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Food Animal and Equine Medicine
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 30-year-old mixed-breed mare was experiencing chronic weight loss and occasional severe belly pain. A veterinarian found a mass in her abdomen during a rectal exam, but blood tests showed mostly normal results, with only slight increases in certain white blood cells and liver enzymes. Despite further testing, including a sample taken from her abdomen, there were no signs of cancer cells. Unfortunately, the mare continued to suffer from abdominal pain and was put to sleep. A post-mortem examination revealed a large tumor in her colon and smaller tumors in her liver, which were diagnosed as colonic adenocarcinoma (a type of colon cancer) with unusual bone-like changes.
Abstract
Rectal palpation of a 30-year-old mixed-breed mare with chronic weight loss and intermittent, refractory abdominal pain revealed a mass in the right caudoventral portion of the abdomen. Hematologic and serum biochemical findings were normal except for slight mature neutrophilia and mildly high alkaline phosphatase activity and total bilirubin concentration. Cytologic examination of a specimen obtained by abdominocentesis revealed equal numbers of nondegenerative neutrophils and macrophages, but no evidence of neoplastic cells. The mare continued to have signs of abdominal discomfort and was euthanatized. Necropsy revealed a large mass at the junction of the right dorsal colon and transverse colon, and several smaller masses in the liver. Histologic characteristics of the small-colon mass were consistent with colonic adenocarcinoma with osseous metaplasia.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2019537/