Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Squamous cell carcinoma of the urethral process in a horse with hemospermia and self-mutilation behavior.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2000
- Authors:
- Bedford, S J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Studies · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old Arabian stallion was brought in because he was suddenly bleeding from his penis. He had a long history of occasional bleeding and had been harming himself for the past four years. During the exam, the vet found an ulcer in the urethra, and a biopsy showed that he had a low-grade squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) in that area. The vet removed the affected part of the urethra, which stopped the bleeding, and the stallion also showed less self-harming behavior afterward, suggesting that the irritation from the cancer may have contributed to his self-mutilation. Overall, the treatment was successful.
Abstract
A 14-year-old Arabian stallion was examined because of acute hemospermia. The stallion was used in an artificial breeding program and had a 6-year history of low-grade hemospermia and a 4-year history of self-mutilation behavior. During previous examinations, minor irritation of the urethral process was identified as the source of the bleeding. Physical examination revealed a mucosal ulceration in the distal portion of the urethra. Histologic examination of a biopsy specimen from this area revealed low-grade squamous cell carcinoma. The urethral process was excised, and the hemospermia resolved. Frequency of self-mutilation behaviors also decreased after surgery, suggesting that there may have been a link between irritation of the urethral process and development of self-mutilation behavior.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10687011/