Year: 1998
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: A 16-year-old captive-bred male eastern kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus getulus) was presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of Florida for evaluation of a bleeding mass which was first noted 2 months prior to presentation. The grayish mass was 2 3 2 3 5 cm, firm, ovoid, raised above the ventral scales, and located ventral to the liver. The snake was anesthetized with isoflurane in 100% oxygen, and the mass was found firmly attached to the fascia of the skin and the underlying skeletal musculature. Because of the invasiveness of the mass into the surrounding tissue, complete excision was not possible. Tissue samples were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 5 mm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), and sections were examined by light microscopy. Microscopically, the mass was composed of sheets and interwoven bundles of contiguous neoplastic cells ranging from round to polygonal to fusiform. Neoplastic cells had scant to abundant, eosinophilic, foamy to fibrillar cytoplasm and variably distinct borders. Nuclei were moderately anisokaryotic, round to elongate, and euchromatic to vesicular and frequently contained single or multiple nucleoli of various sizes. Mitotic figures were rare, and vascular invasion by tumor cells was not detected. Neoplastic tissue invaded adjoining skeletal muscle and extended to the surgical margins (Fig. 1). No bacterial or fungal organisms were detected by Goodpasture, Fites, or Gomori methenamine silver stains. An anatomic diagnosis of undifferentiated sarcoma was made. Given the invasive nature and the incomplete excision, recurrence was considered likely. After 6 months, the mass had regrown at the original site and was approximately the same size as the previous mass. To stage this neoplastic disease, a diagnostic evaluation was performed. Whole body radiographs were within normal limits. An ultrasonogram revealed a heteroechoic mass extending from the skin into the coelomic cavity, displacing the lung. The liver was uniform in echogenicity and texture. Hematologic parameters revealed a leukocytosis (11,300 cells/ml), lymphocytosis (5,760 cells/ml), and anemia (packed cell volume [PCV] 5 17%). Plasma biochemical parameters were within normal limits. When the mass was reexcised, it was found to be firmly attached to the surrounding skeletal musculature and invading the coelomic cavity. Portions of the mass were processed as described above for histopathologic evaluation. Findings were similar to
Institution: University of Florida
Language: English
Topic: Veterinary Oncology Research
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2120710747