Morphological and Immunohistochemical Characterization of an Oral Metastatic Carcinosarcoma in a Cat

Abstract

A 15-year-old neutered male mixed breed Domestic Shorthair cat was presented for a rapidly growing, intraoral soft gingival mass on the left mandibular region. The neoplastic tissue consisted histologically of two distinct malignant cell populations: spindle cells arranged in bands and epithelioid cells arranged in cords. A few multinucleated giant cells were scattered among the neoplastic cells. Spindle cells and multinucleated giant cells strongly expressed vimentin while epithelial cells strongly expressed pancytokeratins. On the basis of the histological and immunohistochemical results, a diagnosis of oral carcinosarcoma was made. After 2 months, due to the extent of disease and poor prognosis, the cat was euthanized. Necropsy revealed a markedly enlarged, multilobulated white-pink neoplastic mass that had originated from the left side of the sublingual region and involved the coronoid process of the left mandibular bone. The cut surface of the enlarged left submandibular lymph node was glistening, whitish-tan in colour with a multinodular appearance, suggestive of metastasis and confirmed by histological examination. Oral carcinosarcoma is uncommonly recorded in humans and dogs and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in a cat.