Multiple Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors Research Articles

Multiple cutaneous mast cell tumours in a Boa imperator

Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are common in dogs and cats, but are only rarely reported in reptiles. This case documents the clinical and pathomorphological results from a Boa imperator with...

Association of prognostic features and treatment on survival time of dogs with systemic mastocytosis: A retrospective analysis of 40 dogs

Systemic mastocytosis is a rare phenomenon, with limited information regarding prognostic features and effective treatment of canine patients with this disease. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of certain features and treatments on dogs with systemic mastocytosis. The medical records of 40 dogs from 4 northeastern US veterinary hospitals, with evidence of systemic mast cell disease, were evaluated retrospectively. Variables analysed with relation to overall survival and prognostic significance included treatment protocol used, substage, presence of a cutaneous or visceral tumour, presence of multiple cutaneous Mast cell tumours, grade of the primary tumour and metastatic site(s). Dogs with metastatic disease confined to distant lymph nodes lived longer than those with circulating mast cells in the blood (P = .001), and those with metastatic disease evident in more than 2 sites had a worse prognosis than those with disease in a single location (P = .005). Additionally, administration of chemotherapeutic agents led to increased survival over prednisone therapy alone (P = .008), with the combination of lomustine, vinblastine and prednisone prolonging survival over the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, toceranib phosphate (P = .002). Presence of mast cells in the blood and/or evidence of disease in more than 2 sites indicate widespread dissemination suggesting their use as negative prognostic features. Furthermore, a chemotherapy protocol including combination lomustine and vinblastine therapy may be more effective than toceranib phosphate for the treatment of dogs with disseminated mast cell disease. Overall, patients with systemic mastocytosis have a grave prognosis and more effective treatment options are needed.

Multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors in a pig

Cutaneous tumors are not usually observed in pigs, and mast cell tumors, in particular, have been rarely described. The current report describes numerous, pink to red, elevated, 1-5-cm nodules in the skin of a 6-month-old slaughter pig. The histopathology of the nodules revealed well-demarcated, but poorly differentiated, populations of round cells that extended from the dermis into subcutaneous tissues. The presence of eosinophils and the observation, at high magnification, of cells with cytoplasmic metachromatic granules, after toluidine blue staining, confirmed the diagnosis of multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors.

Canine mast cell tumours: a review of the pathogenesis, clinical features, pathology and treatment

Mast cells (MCs) are well known for their neoplastic transformation in solitary and multiple cutaneous mast cell tumours (MCTs), as well as visceral and systemic mastocytosis. Dogs have a unique risk of developing cutaneous MCTs, and they account for 7% to 21% of all canine skin tumours. The aetiology of canine MCTs is unknown but is probably multifactorial. This article reviews up-to-date knowledge on the pathogenesis, the clinical presentation, the clinical prognostic factors, the diagnostic workup including clinical staging, cytological findings, histological findings and the various grading systems which have been evaluated based on morphology, the assessment of proliferation markers and other factors such as vessel density. Furthermore, detailed information about current treatment protocols for canine cutaneous MCTs is provided.

Evaluation of prognostic factors associated with outcome in dogs with multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors treated with surgery with and without adjuvant treatment: 54 cases (1998–2004)

To evaluate prognostic factors associated with outcome of dogs with multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCTs) treated with surgery with or without adjuvant treatment. Retrospective case series. 54 dogs with a minimum of 2 simultaneous, histologically confirmed cutaneous MCTs that had been excised and had adequate staging and follow-up data. Medical records from 1998 to 2004 were examined. Outcome was assessed with the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method and log-rank analysis. Prognostic factors evaluated included signalment; number, histologic grade, location, size, local recurrence, and de novo development of MCTs; quality of surgical margins; clinical signs at the time of diagnosis; and use of adjuvant treatment. Medical records of 54 dogs with 153 tumors were included. Median follow-up time was 658 days. Median disease-free interval (1,917 days; range, 11 to 1,917 days) and median survival time (1,917 days; range, 14 to 1,917 days) were not yet reached. The 1- year and 2- to 5-year survival rates were 87% and 85%, respectively. The overall rate of metastasis was 15%. Factors that negatively influenced survival time in the univariate analysis included incomplete excision, local recurrence, size > 3 cm, clinical signs at the time of diagnosis, and use of adjuvant treatment. Presence of clinical signs at the time of diagnosis was the only negative prognostic factor for disease-free interval detected in the multivariate analysis. Results suggested that multiple cutaneous MCTs in dogs are associated with a low rate of metastasis and a good prognosis for long-term survival with adequate excision of all MCTs.

Prognosis following surgical excision of canine cutaneous mast cell tumors with histopathologically tumor-free versus nontumor-free margins: a retrospective study of 31 cases.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the presence of histopathologically tumor-free versus nontumor-free margins was prognostic for relapse or tumor-related death in dogs following surgical excision of single or multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors confined to the skin without evidence of metastasis to lymph nodes or other noncutaneous sites. Differences in tumor-related death or frequency of relapse between the two groups were not significant. Failure to achieve histopathological tumor-free margins frequently did not lead to local relapse. All tumor-related deaths occurred following local relapse. The lack of statistical support for an association between prognosis and histopathological tumor-free versus nontumor-free margins may be a result of small sample size.

Demonstration of tryptase in bovine cutaneous and tumor mast cells.

We examined three tissue samples from each of four cows with non-lesional skin, tissue samples from a cow with multiple cutaneous mast cell tumors, and samples from another cow in which mast cells were infiltrating multiple lymphosarcomas of the skin, for the presence of tryptase and chymase by enzyme cytochemical and immunohistological methods. The enzyme activities of tryptase and chymase were tested using N-carbobenzoxy-glycilglycil-L-arginine-2-naphthylamide (Z-Gly-Gly-Arg-NA) and naphthol-AS-D-chloroacetate (N-AS-D-CA) as substrates, respectively. Tryptase reactivity could be demonstrated in frozen and Carnoy-fixed paraffin sections. Chymase reactivity was seen in neither frozen nor paraffin sections of formalin- or Carnoy-fixed skin tissues. Antibody linkage with a polyclonal rabbit anti-human skin tryptase antibody was highly specific in bovine normal cutaneous, infiltrating, and tumor mast cells. More than 90% of the tumor mast cells were distinctly tryptase-positive. With alcian blue, only slightly more than 10% of the mast cells stained clearly positive and with methylene blue hardly any staining of mast cell granules could be demonstrated. No antibody labeling of mast cell granules in any of the tissue sections was detected by the use of rabbit anti-dog chymase antiserum. These results indicate that there is a striking antigenic similarity of bovine tryptase to its canine and human equivalents. The demonstration of tryptase is an important tool in confirming the diagnosis of undifferentiated mast cell tumors. In contrast to other species, chymase appears to be completely absent in bovine skin mast cells.

Multiple cutaneous mast cell tumours in a cow

Multiple cutaneous mast cell tumours in a cow