Equine adenocarcinomas of the large intestine with osseous metaplasia

Abstract

Large intestinal adenocarcinoma with osseous metaplasia was diagnosed in two horses, a 15-year-old standard bred gelding and a 9-year-old Haflinger mare. Clinically, both animals had displayed weight loss and anaemia. A presumptive diagnosis of abdominal neoplasia was made and the horses were humanely killed. At necropsy, the gelding and the mare were found to have ulcerated tumours growing into the lumen of the caecum and colon, respectively. In the mare, the mass extended through the mesocolon and was evident in the left dorsal and ventral colon. Histopathologically, the tumours consisted of well-differentiated cords of single-layered columnar to cuboidal epithelial cells. Mitotic figures were very uncommon. In both lesions, well-formed bony spicules and osteoid were present in the fibrovascular stroma. The tumours were well-demarcated from surrounding mucosal tissue but had invaded the intestinal wall. Metastases were not observed.