A retrospective study of cutaneous neoplasms in domestic rabbits (1990–2001)

Abstract

Spontaneous skin tumors in privately‐owned domestic rabbits, particularly nonviral‐associated neoplasms, have been sporadically documented in the veterinary literature. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively survey cutaneous neoplasms submitted from veterinary practitioners for routine histopathological evaluation. Four hundred and forty surgical pathology specimens from lagomorphs were submitted to the Laboratory of Pathology Diagnostic Service at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, from 1990 through 2001. Of those, 139 were cutaneous neoplasms. Trichoblastomas (basal cell tumors) were the most commonly diagnosed skin neoplasm (total = 45) and comprised 32% of all skin tumors, while three trichoepitheliomas (2%), and three papillomas (2%) were also identified. Malignant epithelial neoplasms (10%) consisted of four squamous cell carcinomas, three apocrine carcinomas, one basal cell carcinoma, one sebaceous carcinoma and five carcinomas that were not further classified. Two cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma were found. Cutaneous Shope and non‐Shope fibromas (34) comprised 25% of the cases. Seven lipomas (5%) were diagnosed. Malignant mesenchymal neoplasms consisted of 29 soft tissue sarcomas (21%). One case of cutaneous epidermotropic lymphosarcoma and one nonepitheliotropic malignant round cell tumor were also identified. In this study, trichoblastomas were found to be the most common nonviral‐associated cutaneous neoplasm.