PMC6005275_01
Exophytic solid basal cell tumor of a Namibian cheetah located on the left shoulder.
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We were contacted by a local farmer who kept a cheetah on his farm, which exhibited a slow growing alopecic dermal mass at the height of the left shoulder blade that began to grow approximately 1.5 years earlier (Figure 1).
Cut surface of the solid basal cell tumor in a Namibian cheetah (5.5 cm in diameter).
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Cut surfaces revealed multiple small lobules separated by fine white strands of connective tissue (Figure 2).
Basal cell tumor in a Namibian cheetah. (a) Area of heavily pigmented dark brown tumor lobules and (b) tumor lobules sparsely pigmented. (c) Tumor cells oriented in cords and nests separated by thin collagen. (d) Tumor nodule with cells with indistinct cell borders delineated by fine connective tissue. HE stain.
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Microscopically, some lobules were populated by high numbers of heavily dark brown, pigmented cells, while others contained lightly pigmented cells, which were mostly distributed in the periphery of each lobule (Figures 3(a) and 3(b)). Within the lobules, cells were oriented in cords and trabeculae or small islands separated by thin collagen, while distinct sheets of collagen-rich connective tissue surrounded the entire lobules (Figure 3(c)). The neoplastic cells were cuboidal to polygonal with uniformly large round to ovoid central nuclei with stippled chromatin and 1-2 nucleoli (Figure 3(d)). The majority of the tumor cells had indistinct cell borders (Figures 3(c) and 3(d)).