Equine Skin Diseases & Disorders Flashcards
What are sarcoids? What are the 4 most common places?
locally invasive, non-metastatic cutaneous fibroblastic tumor (most common skin tumor in horses)
- head, legs, ventral abdomen
- eyes, ears, muzzle
- areas of previous trauma/wounds
- penis
What horses are most commonly affected by sarcoids?
young adults 2-9 y/o
1/3 will have multiple lesions
What are 4 possible etiologies of sarcoids?
- bovine papilloma virus - viral E5 protein associated with malignancy
- trauma - common at wound sites
- direct contact/vector-borne - eyes, ears, distal limbs
- genetics - AQH > TB > SB
What are 4 typical characteristics of sarcoids on histopathology?
- epidermal acanthosis
- hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia
- dermal fibroblastic tissue with immature fibroblasts - arranged in a whorl pattern
- mitotic figures
What are occult sarcoids? What can it be confused with?
earliest form of sarcoid where there is a circular, hairless area of thickened skin (may stay unchanged for years)
ringworm —> more thickened, won’t respond to treatment, hair samples come back negative
What are verrucous sarcoids? What is characteristic?
grey, scaly, warty sarcoid that can develop local ulceration or have small nodules below the skin (flat, no longer smooth)
occult halo - lack of hair around the rim
Occult sarcoid:
flat, hairless
Verrucous sarcoid:
grey, scaly, warty
+/- nodules
What are nodular sarcoids? Where are they most commonly located?
discrete, firm nodule under the skin that can ulcerate +/- firmly attached
- eyelid
- axilla
- inner thigh
- groin
Nodular sarcoid
+/- firmly attached
What are fibroblastic sarcoids? What leads to further ulceration/infection?
fleshy and aggressive in appearance that can have a narrow pedicle attaching it to the body and may invade past
attractive to flies
Where are mixed sarcoids most commonly found?
areas of repeated trauma (tack rubbing) or inappropriate treatments
What are malignant/malevolent sarcoids?
rare type of sarcoid that can extensively spread through skin and underlying tissues
- aggressive local invasion, NOT internal organs
What sarcoids are most likely to spontaneously regress? Which ones progress to malignancy?
occult > verrucous
verrucous/occult —> fibroblastic
What is avoided when diagnosing sarcoids?
biopsy —> most commonly already know what it is and risk making it worse
What does the treatment of choice for sarcoids depend on?
- type
- anatomic location
- extent and number
- duration
- previous interventions
- facilities
- DVM expertise
- cost of treatment
- owner/horse compliance
How is sharp excision of sarcoids best done? What is the most common development following surgery?
when combined with other therapy
VERY hard to define margins —> recurrence is common, must change gloves and rinse with saline frequently
How does laser excision compare to scalpel excision? What complication is associated?
better success - less likely to seed tumor to normal surrounding skin
higher rate of wound dehiscence due to thermal damage —> only use in areas that allow second intention healing
How does cryosurgery work? What types of tumors does it work best on?
necrosis of the tumor through three freeze/thaw cycles from -20 to -30 degrees C to room temperature
superficial tumors —> limited by size and location
What are 3 options for chemotherapy to treat sarcoids?
- TOPICAL - Acyclovir or 5-fluorouracil cream
- INTRALESIONAL - Cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil
- ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY - high voltage electric pulses and chemo to increase the dose directly reaching the cells (requires GA and 4-8 treatments, very effective with low recurrence)
What are 3 options for immunotherapy to treat sarcoids?
- BCG - Mycobacterium bovis cell wall immunostimulant to increase B and T cell response to tumor antigens
- Imiquimod (Aldera) - immunomodulator applied 3x a week for several months
- autologous vaccination - use bits of sarcoid frozen in liquid nitrogen and implanted into the neck to create a vaccine for numerous lesions not amenable to surgery
What 4 things are required for BCG to work? What tumors does this work best on?
- patient must be able to create an immune response
- immune response to BCG must correspond to tumor cells
- debulk before application
- multiple injections
small, periorbital, or fibroblastic tumors
What 2 complications are associated with BCG immunotherapy?
- anaphylactic shock
- severe local tissue swelling
What are 5 options for radiotherapy in treating sarcoids?
- Iridium-192
- Gold-198
- Cobalt-60
- Radon-222
- Radium-226
(locally implanted)
Why is radiotherapy rarely used?
- expensive
- hazardous
- requires general anesthesia