TITLE:
Evaluation of Mast Cells in Dermal versus Subcutaneous Hemangiomas and Hemangiosarcomas in Dogs
AUTHORS:
Katherine A. Barber, Kim M. Newkirk, Ann Reed, Robert L. Donnell
KEYWORDS:
Canine; Dermis; Hemangioma; Hemangiosarcoma; Mast Cell; Skin; Subcutaneous
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
12,
2012
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the role of mast cells in canine cutaneous vascular tumors, and is the first such study to distinguish between tumors arising in the dermis versus the subcutis. Mast cell numbers in canine cutaneous hemangiomas (HA) and hemangiosarcomas (HSA) were evaluated to identify a relationship between mast cells, tumor type (HA, HSA), histologic location (dermis, subcutis) and tumor recurrence. One hundred and sixty-seven biopsies from 148 dogs were evaluated. Using only one biopsy from each dog, mast cell counts (MCC) for each tumor (n = 148) were obtained by averaging the number of mast cells counted in ten 400× fields. A significant difference in mean MCC was found only between tumor types, with HA having more mast cells than HSA (4.2 ± 4.2 vs. 2.2 ± 2.6; p