Olfactory Neuroepithelioma in a Dog: An Immunohistochemical and Electron Microscopic Study.

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A case of olfactory neuroepithelioma was investigated electron microscopically and immunohistochemically. The tumor mass was found in the nasal cavities of a 10-year-old female dog, which showed epistaxis, nasal discharge and facial swelling. The tumor tissue consisted of tubular structure of cuboidal to columnar cells and compactly arranged nests of small cells surrounded by a fibrovascular stroma. Mitotic figures were frequently observed. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells frequently showed positive for neurofilament protein, synaptophysin and/or carnosine in addition to keratin. Ultrastructurally, tight junction was observed between the tumor cells. No dense-cored secretory granules were shown in the tumor cells. These findings indicated that the present tumor had neuronal and epithelial features probably originating from the olfactory epithelium. KEY WORDS: canine, neuroepithelioma, olfactory.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 64(4): 391-393, 2002 The olfactory neuroblastomas are uncommon, malignant neoplasms, most of which arise in the esthmoturbinate region of the caudal nasal cavity. It is unclear whether they arise from the olfactory neuroepithelial cells, remnants of neural crest cells, or local components of the dispersed neuroendocrine system. Thus not only the histological diagnosis but also the origin of the tumor is still a matter of controversy in humans as evidenced by the different terms used to describe the tumor [24]. These include olfactory neuroblastoma [6,8,18] Takahashi et al. [23] suggested that their cases consisted of cells differentiating in at least two distinct directions, neuronal and epithelial, and concluded that the tumors were of true olfactory epithelium origin, or more precisely, derived from the bipotential, undifferentiated basal cells of the epithelium and differed from olfactory neuroblastomas which are generally considered to be "APUD (amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation) tumors". Based on these findings, the term of olfactory neuroepithelioma was added in the category of olfactory neuroblastoma as a new variant in the WHO classification of human tumors [20]. On the other hand, in the veterinary literature, the term olfactory neuroblastoma (esthesioneuroblastoma) is still used in the WHO classification [10] as well as in case reports [1,7] of the tumor in domestic animals. Detailed immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study on these tumors in the veterinary literature is limited.In this report, we describe histological, immunohistochemial and ultrastractural features of a spontaneous case of olfactory neuroepithelioma in a 10-year-old female dog.A 10-year-old female mongrel dog, with a 2-month-history of epistaxis, nasal discharge and facial swelling was brought to the Veterinary Clinic in Tottori University. Xray examination demonstrated an oval to round mass, 3 cm in diameter, in the left nasal cavity. The mass destroyed nasal turbinates extending into the right nasal cavity beyond the nasal septum. The animal was killed humanely because of poor prognos...

Olfactory Neuroblastoma in a Horse

“…Therefore, consistent immunohistochemical stainings have not yet been established, although positive reactions to neurogenic markers such as S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are relatively identical [15,16]. In veterinary medicine, only a few cases of olfactory neurobalstomas have been described in dogs, cats, cattle and monkeys [4,6,11,15]. Rosette formation has been rarely seen in canine and bovine cases, whereas rosettes appear to be a more consistent finding in feline cases [4,6,15].…”

“…In veterinary medicine, only a few cases of olfactory neurobalstomas have been described in dogs, cats, cattle and monkeys [4,6,11,15]. Rosette formation has been rarely seen in canine and bovine cases, whereas rosettes appear to be a more consistent finding in feline cases [4,6,15]. The cellular nature of olfactory neuroblastomas remains to be investigated.…”

First description of an olfactory neuroblastoma in goldfish Carassius auratus: a case report

“…As yet, in spite of the extensive literature on ONB in humans (for a recent review see Faragalla & Weinreb 2009), the only other animals for which this tumour has been described are rodents (Herrold & Dunham 1963, Vollrath et al 1986), cats (Cox & Powers 1989, Schrenzel et al 1990, Parker et al 2010, dogs (Hara et al 2002, Ueno et al 2007), horses (Döpke et al 2005, Yamate et al 2006), a cow (Anderson & Cordy 1981), a monkey (Correa et al 1975), a blue-tongued skink (Zwart et al 2002), an axolotl (Brunst & Roque 1967), and also a few fish species (Ishikawa et al 1978, Torikata et al 1989.…”

“…Although ONB cells can be positive for several neural and glial immunomarkers, the immunohistochemical profile reported for ONB differs among species (Cox & Powers 1989, Hara et al 2002, Döpke et al 2005, Yamate et al 2006, Lee & Kim 2007 Fig. 7.…”

“…Since its first description in Berger & Luc (1924), nearly 1000 cases of ONB have been reported in humans (Broich et al 1997), while only a few have been observed in other animals (Herrold & Dunham 1963, Brunst & Roque 1967, Correa et al 1975, Anderson & Cordy 1981, Vollrath et al 1986, Cox & Powers 1989, Schrenzel et al 1990, Hara et al 2002, Zwart et al 2002, Döpke et al 2005, Yamate et al 2006, Ueno et al 2007.…”