Cutaneous Tumors in Dogs: A Retrospective Epidemiological and Histological Study of 112 Cases

Abstract

Background: In the present study, a total of 112 dogs with cutaneous tumors were examined between November 2018 and November 2020. Out of 112 dogs, 118 skin tumor samples were obtained, of which 68 (57.63%) cases were malignant, and 50 (42.37%) cases were benign. Objectives: The objectives were to identify the most common histologic types of canine cutaneous tumors in Egypt, report the relative frequency of each tumor type, and elucidate the association of risk factors (age, sex, breed, and tumor anatomical site) with the development of common cutaneous tumor types. Methods: The samples were collected from different private veterinary practices. All samples were processed and diagnosed histopathologically in the Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the diagnosed tumor types. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to study associations of the development of benign or malignant cutaneous tumors with risk factors. Results: Thirty different canine cutaneous tumors were diagnosed. Basal cell carcinoma (8.47%), papilloma (7.63%), infundibular keratinizing acanthoma (6.78%), liposarcoma (6.78%), and fibrosarcoma (5.93%) were the most common tumors. Tumors were commonly found on the trunk (25.42%), head (17.79%), and extremities (17.79%). The most affected breed was Golden Retriever (11.61%). The occurrence was predominant in males (53.57%) as compared to females (33.03%). Conclusion: The findings from this study are important for small animal clinical practices as they will serve as a useful reference to establish a preliminary diagnosis of cutaneous tumors in dogs as rapidly and precisely as possible.