Tumours of the upper and lower respiratory tract

Equine sinonasal tumours: Does reporting of single cases and case series still advance the neglected field of equine clinical oncology?

“…The case report by Lechartier et al (2015) describes a gingival tumour that later spread to the nasal cavity. This case is also of interest because equine sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas can also originate in the oral cavity Knottenbelt et al 2015), although in some cases it is impossible to determine whether they originated in the upper respiratory or alimentary tracts . The tumour in this case was initially histologically classified as an aggressive fibrosarcoma, a tumour type that usually recurs in horses unless completely excised.…”

“…Neoplasia of the sinonasal area comprises between 2 and 19% of all equine sinonasal disorders (Knottenbelt et al . ) but benign growths such as sinus cysts or progressive ethmoid haematomata are approximately three times more common than neoplasms at this site (Head and Dixon ; Tremaine and Dixon ; Dixon et al . ).…”

“…) and in horses (Dixon and Head ; Head and Dixon ; Knottenbelt et al . ). In horses, the maxillary sinuses are the most common site for tumour development (Head and Dixon ), although in man, the nasal cavity can be more commonly affected by neoplasia (Grau et al .…”

“…A large variety of different tumour types can arise in multiple anatomical sites within the sinonasal regions, with epithelial tumours (especially squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas) the most commonly recorded cell types, both in man (Grau et al 2001;Khademi et al 2009) and in horses Head and Dixon 1999;Knottenbelt et al 2015). In horses, the maxillary sinuses are the most common site for tumour development , although in man, the nasal cavity can be more commonly affected by neoplasia (Grau et al 2001;Katz et al 2002).…”

“…However, since then, multiple case reports and small case series of equine sinonasal tumours have been published worldwide. These case reports have been recently systematically reviewed by Knottenbelt et al (2015), who have authored the first comprehensive textbook on equine oncology. In view of these recently published case reports/series and especially the availability of a dedicated equine oncology textbookare case reports/ series still of any real scientific merit?…”