ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Volume 14 | Issue 3 (January 2024)

Retrospective Study of the Prevalence, Histopathology, Therapy, and Survival Time of Neoplastic Disease in Fish.

Animals (Basel). January 2024;14(3):.

Emma Ferraro¹, Scott H Harrison², Elizabeth Duke³, Brigid Troan⁴, Amy Boddy⁵, Lisa M Abegglen⁶, Tara M Harrison⁷

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.; ² Department of Biology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, 1601 E. Market St., Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.; ³ College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.; ⁴ College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.; ⁵ Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, College of Veterinary Medicine, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.; ⁶ Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, College of Veterinary Medicine, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.; ⁷ College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.

Abstract

This study evaluated neoplasia in fish using medical records from zoos, aquariums, and exotic animal veterinarians. The parameters evaluated included geographic location, habitat type, signalment, anatomic location of neoplasia, type of neoplasia as confirmed with histologic examination, survival time, and treatments provided for each patient. These data were entered into the Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance (ESCRA) database. Out of 455 cases from across the United States and England, most animals submitted were from zoologic parks or aquariums (62.9%), followed by private ownership (1.5%). The percent of female (19.3%) and male (17.8%) patients were similar, and the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 99.45 months, with a range of 12 to 300 months. The species with the highest neoplasia prevalence was koi (18.5%), followed by goldfish (10.8%). The eye was the most commonly reported site for a primary neoplasm (8.4%), and the most prevalent diagnosis across all organ systems was soft tissue sarcoma (26.2%). Only 13 patients in this study (2.9%) received any form of treatment, with a mean survival time of 8.85 months post-treatment. These data demonstrate that while information related to clinical therapy of cancer in fish species is lacking, surgical excision of tumors in fish, when feasible for the patient and client, may improve patient outcomes.

Keywords

aquarium; cancer; carcionoma; fish; histopathology; neoplasia; pathology; sarcoma; shark; zoo;

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