Prevalence and distribution of canine neoplastic and non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions in Serbia: a retrospective study of 2432 Cases (2011 – Mid 2021)

Darko Marinković,Slađan Nešić,Sanja Aleksić-Kovačević,Vladimir Kukolj

doi:10.2478/acve-2021-0034

Abstract

Abstract Cutaneous lesions, especially skin tumors in dogs, are among the most common lesions in this animal species. The aim of this study was to identify the most common types of canine cutaneous lesions, to determine the absolute and relative frequency of each type of cutaneous lesion, anatomical locations, mean age, as well as gender and breed distribution. The examination included all samples of cutaneous lesions in dogs obtained by surgical biopsy in veterinary clinics and examined at the Laboratory of the Department of Pathology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade from the 1st January 2011 to the 1st July 2021. In this period (126 months), a total of 2432 samples of cutaneous lesions were examined, of which 1984 (81.58%) were tumors (1037/1984, 52.27% benign and 947/1984, 47.73% malignant) and 448 (18.42%) non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions. The most commonly found cutaneous tumors were: mast cell tumor (17.34% of all tumors), histiocytoma (9.78%), papilloma (7.91%), lipoma (7.81%), squamous cell carcinoma (7.36%), trichoblastoma (4.44%), hepatoid adenoma (4.39%) and malignant melanoma (4.18%). The most common non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions were: follicular cyst(s) (35.04% of all non-neoplastic lesions), pyogranulomatous chronic dermatitis (23.88%), lymphocytic dermatitis (7.37%), hyperkeratosis (4.24%), and granulomatous dermatitis (3.79%). Our results substantially confirm previously reported data regarding cutaneous neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions in dogs, and provide updated information on their frequency, animal age, anatomic location and breed distributions.

Highlights

Canine neoplastic and non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions are quite common and have a similar clinical manifestation or macroscopic appearance, so it is very important toActa Veterinaria-Beograd 2021, 71 (4), 403-416 make a correct diagnosis
According to the study on neoplastic and non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions in dogs in Grenada, West Indies, the most common types of cutaneous neoplasms in dogs are: hemangiosarcomas, histiocytomas, melanocytomas and mast cell tumors, which most frequently occur in local mixed-breeds, and the most numerous cutaneous non-neoplastic lesions were: sebaceous hyperplasia, fibroepithelial polyps and collagenous hamartomas [5]
Of the total number of cutaneous lesions, 39.67% were tumors. This result is slightly lower compared to other reports where cutaneous tumors comprised about half of all tumors in dogs [2,3], but is higher compared to our previous studies [4,18]

Summary

Introduction

Canine neoplastic and non-neoplastic cutaneous lesions are quite common and have a similar clinical manifestation or macroscopic appearance, so it is very important toActa Veterinaria-Beograd 2021, 71 (4), 403-416 make a correct diagnosis. The most common cutaneous neoplasms in dogs in Greece were mast cell tumors, hepatoid gland adenomas, lipomas and histiocytomas, localized on the head, neck, trunk and limbs [6]. The results of the study from Japan show that soft tissue sarcoma, mast cell tumor, lipoma and hair follicle tumor outnumbered the other tumor types. These cutaneous neoplasms were commonly found on the head, hind limb, forelimb, chest, and neck, especially in mixed-breed dogs, Miniature Dachshund, and Labrador Retriever [7]. Histiocytoma, hemangiosarcoma and melanocytoma are the most common tumors in dogs in South Africa [12], while lipoma, adenoma, and mast cell tumor are commonly found in dogs in North America [13]

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