A survey of neoplasia in domestic species over a 40-year period from 1935 to 1974 in the Republic of South Africa. V. Tumours occurring in the cat

Abstract

A total of 243 neoplasms were recorded in a survey of all the feline neoplasms which are reported in the registration files of the Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort, Republic of South Africa, covering a 40-year period from 1935 to 1974. The tissues most commonly neoplastic were the skin, followed by the lymphoid tissue, the digestive tract and the genital system, which together accounted for 76,6% of the total tumours. Squamous cell carcinomas, the commonest type of tumour, accounted for 65 (26,7%) of the 243 neoplasms, followed by lymphosarcomas with 50 (20,5%). The majority of squamous cell carcinomas involved the skin, especially that of the ear and nose. A reasonably high proportion of these tumours also occurred on the tongue and eyelid. The commonest form of distribution for lymphosarcomas was the multicentric form, followed by the alimentary, the renal and thymic forms. Squamous cell carcinomas were the most frequent type of skin tumours, followed by basal cell tumours, mastocytomas and melanomas. The digestive tract accounted for 33 (13,5%) of the neoplasms, the 3 most commonly encountered being squamous cell carcinomas, lymphosarcomas and intestinal adenocarcinomas. The mammary gland tumours accounted for 23 (9,5%) of the total, 61% of which were carcinomas. Other tumours encountered were fibromas, fibrosarcomas involving particularly the skin, melanomas of the skin or eye, osteosarcomas, hepatocellular carcinomas and haemangiosarcomas.