Cytopathology of round cell and melanocytic tumors of cutaneous and subcutaneous origin in dogs

Abstract

The present study was conducted to study the occurrence of naturally occurring round cell tumors and melanocytic tumors in the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues of dogs. Atotal of 60 cases of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors were recorded from October, 2020 to March, 2021. Incidence of tumors was recorded with respect to age, sex, breed and body weight. The cytological findings were confirmed with histopathological findings, wherever tissue samples were available and special staining was also performed, wherever required. Out of 60 samples, 57 cases were of round cell tumors and three were of melanocytic tumors on the basis of cytology. Round cell tumors were further classified as lymphoma (23), TVT (22), Mast cell tumors (11) and histiocytic tumors (1). Interestingly, TVT was more common at extra- genital sites when compared togenitalia. The cytological and histopathological findings showed high correlation, sensitivity and positive predictive value for reliable diagnosis. From the study, it was concluded that cytology is effective in diagnosis of round and melanocytic tumors of cutaneous and subcutaneous origin in dogs.