Cutaneous Adenocarcinoma in a Desert Tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii )

Ashraf Abu-Seida & Sherein Said, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo

University

The turtles and tortoises that are belong to order Chelonia is the oldest group of
reptiles that characterized by the presence of a bony shell. Previous study of
neoplasia in reptiles shown that, in chelonians, all neoplasm were seen in turtles.
Several types of neoplasms were reported in tortoises. A heterotopic in-situ
complex adenocarcinoma was reported for the first time in an Asian Leaf Turtle
(Cyclemus dentata). The neoplasm showed irregular, tubular structures of various
sizes lined by two or four layers of cuboidal and columnar neoplastic epithel cells.

Case history and clinical findings : a 40 y.o. female desert tortoise admitted to
surgery cilinics with a histroy of imperfect locomotio of the left forelimb, painful
swelling, and intact skin. After 3 months of treatment the tortoise was re-admitted
with a larger, soft, ulcerated swelling. The tumor had offensive odor discharging
pus with blood and mechanically hampering animals movement. The animal
consequently developed poor health condition.

Surgical excision : the swelling was surgically excised. The wound was dressed
with povidone iodine solution and bandaged for 7 sucessive days. And then the
skin stiches were removed 7 days post-surgery. The tortoise recovered well after
surgery. However, after a year post-surgery, the swelling reappeared at the same
location.

Histopathological findings : macroscopically, the excised swelling was pale,

yellow, friable, greasy and lobulated on cut section. The swelling revealed well
differentiated adenocarcinoma with criteria of malignancy such as pleomorphism,
hyperchromacia, increase of nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, leucocytic infiltration and
hemorrhage.

Disscussion : the concurrent presence of hemorrhagic areas inside the neoplasm

that attributed to less developed blood vessel caused the swelling. All the criteria
above confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in the currently desert tortoise.