Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma in African Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris): A Case Report

Abstract

African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) are an increasingly more common pet worldwide. In such species, the highly invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) clinical reports are even more usual. Our report presents a 7 years old indoor male African pygmy hedgehog, with a high grade and infiltrative SCC. Such condition induced left mandible caudal portion fracture, and tooth damage, clinically and radiologically evidenced. The patient presented progressive weight loose, and, finally, the euthanasia protocol was authorized by the owners. At necropsy, a 5-7 cm diameter whitish nodular, firm and solitary oral lesion was found, which caused oral damage and nasal turbinates compression. Also, another distant and solitary whitish nodular lesion was evidenced at the left lung cranial lobe. Histopathologic, histochemistry and immunohistochemical findings confirmed a high grade and infiltrative SCC with lung metastasis, and neoplastic emboli on lymph vessels both in oral and lung samples. Therefore, this is the first reported case with these histopathologic features.
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Keywords

hedgehogs
squamous cell carcinoma
metastatic
neoplasm