Statistics of canine skin tumors in Korea during 2005-2018

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and anatomic location of canine cutaneous tumors and the sex, age, and breed distribution of dogs with skin tumor. A total of 2,172 tumor samples submitted for histopathological diagnosis from local animal hospitals during 2005-2018 were retrieved. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues were sectioned, stained, and examined. Clinical data provided by clinicians were also reviewed. Tumors with the highest incidence were sebaceous gland and modified sebaceous gland tumors (22%), follicular tumors (18%), lipoma and liposarcoma (15%), histiocytoma (10%), and mast cell tumors (9%). Gender wise distribution of patients were castrated male (31%), intact female (21%), spayed female (21%), and intact male (16%). The mean age of patients was 9.3 years. Location of lesions included limb (19%), dorsal skin (14%), perianal area (12%), foot (10%), head (7%), neck (6%), and abdominal skin (5%). The most affected breeds were shih-tzu (20%), Maltese (16%), cocker spaniel (9%), schnauzer (8%), Yorkshire terrier (7%), crossbreed (7%), and poodle (7%). In conclusion, this study provides additional information on the general incidence of canine skin tumors in Korea and the accompanying clinical signs.