Limbal xanthogranuloma in a dog

Abstract

A 10-year-old female spayed American Pitt Bull Terrier was presented with a slow growing mass on the temporal limbus area of the right eye. Canine nodular granulomatous episclerokeratitis was suspected, and the affected eye was treated with 1% prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension and 0.03% Tacrolimus ophthalmic solution. As the lesion did not respond to the medical treatments and continued to grow, the mass was excised by lamellar sclerokeratectomy. Microscopically, the mass was composed of granulomatous inflammation with intrahistiocytic lipids and lakes of acicular cholesterol clefts, histopathology findings consistent with xanthogranuloma. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first canine report of limbal xanthogranuloma.

Xanthoma in different species - an unusual tumor with many faces.

“…Xanthomas or xanthogranulomas (also called xanthomatosisor xanthelasmas) are granulomatous multiple nodular inflammatory lesions of a non-cancerous nature quite rarely diagnosed in small animal practice (13,24,27). Their name comes from the Greek xanthos, meaning "yellow".…”

“…Their name comes from the Greek xanthos, meaning "yellow". Their specific, usually yellow color, is due to the large amount of lipids and/or cholesterol accumulated in macrophages and giant cells (1,22,27). They can take various shapes and sizes of a soft consistency, are movable and usually not painful.…”

“…Xanthomas are classified as benign (noncancerous) lesions (5,22). In both humans and animals, multiple xanthomas can often be the only visible symptom of an ongoing systemic disease associated with alterations in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism (dyslipidemia): diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, obesity (1,3,5,22,27,34). If they are single they usually do not reflect comorbidities and are referred to as idiopathic (27,34).…”

“…In both humans and animals, multiple xanthomas can often be the only visible symptom of an ongoing systemic disease associated with alterations in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism (dyslipidemia): diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, obesity (1,3,5,22,27,34). If they are single they usually do not reflect comorbidities and are referred to as idiopathic (27,34). They can also appear after taking certain medicines from the group of corticosteroids, oestrogens, progesterone (1,22,38) and some beta-blockers (40).…”

“…Xanthomas can also occur in internal organs: spleen, liver, kidney, gallbladder, heart muscle, lymph nodes, bones, parotid gland, ocular and periocular tissues (13,33). On the basis of reviewed veterinary literature cutaneous xanthomas in animals have been reported on the head and neck, ears, and ventral area of the body (34,38), groins (22,40), distal extremities, in particular on footpads and over bony prominences (5,38), ocular and periocular tissues (13,27,41). Disseminated, nodular xanthomatous granulomas affecting the liver, kidneys, spleen, adrenal glands, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, mesentery and colon were also observed (1,5,33).…”