Metastasising hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma in a pygmy goat (Caprahircus hircus)

Abstract

An adult, female pygmy goat showed clinical injury and later lameness caused by marked swelling and ulceration of the left lateral hind claw. Conservative treatments failed and due to the development of excessive granulation tissue the lateral claw was amputated. Histologically, a malignant tumour invading the dermis was diagnosed. Fourteen weeks after surgery the goat became recumbent, showed increased values of liver enzymes. Euthanasia followed for humane reasons. At postmortem examination, the liver tissue was almost completely replaced by a solid tumour mass. Additional neoplastic nodules were found in several organs and lymph nodes. Histological and immunohistochemical examination revealed a primary metastasising hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PHNEC) expressing chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase. Neuroendocrine carcinomas have not been described in goats yet. A metastasis in the claw was the first clinical sign observed in this case. Pedal tumour metastasis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for lameness in goats.

Hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma with metastases to the lymph nodes in a sika deer (<i>Cervus nippon yakushimae</i>)

“…Hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (hepatic carcinoid) are extremely rare tumors in animals, but cases have been reported in several animals such as dogs [13], cats [1,7,9], cow [8], goat [17] and horse [3]. Hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma can form small or large masses of multiple nodules scattered throughout the liver [5] and then metastasizes to the various organs, including the lungs and lymph nodes [1,7,8,17]. Neuroendocrine markers such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are useful for the diagnosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma as well as the characteristic morphological features of the presence of argyrophilic granules positively stained with Grimelius stain and of membrane-bound neuroendocrine granules ultrastructurally [10].…”