Feline sarcoid

A 4-year-old, female spayed domestic short-hair presented for evaluation and a second opinion of a nasal growth. The patient had an abnormally shaped nose, aside from the growth, since a kitten. The mass first appeared around Christmas 2003 and arose from the dorsal nasal planum of the right nostril. It began to impinge on her breathing by spring 2004. The referring veterinarian removed the mass and submitted it for histopathology to two different laboratories. The results from the laboratories were not consistent. Subsequently, the mass regrew to the same size prior to surgery. On physical examination, there was a hyperkeratotic mass on the dorsal nasal planum of the right nostril, an enlarged and prominent bridge of the nose and the left nostril curled inward. An upper respiratory noise was present, but no dyspnea or discharge was evident. There was normal airflow from both nostrils. Differential diagnoses included feline sarcoid, squamous cell carcinoma and granulation tissue. The patient was admitted to the hospital in preparation for surgical removal of the mass via a nosectomy. Pre-surgical blood work was all within normal limits. An MRI (magnetic resonance image) revealed that the mass did not extend into the sinus cavity. The nosectomy involved removal of all of the nasal planum and most of the nasal cavity. The mass was submitted for histopathology and a diagnosis of feline sarcoid was confirmed. Feline sarcoids are rare, spindle cell tumors that lack metastases and have been linked to bovine papillomavirus (BPV) via PCR testing. These tumors are histologically similar to equine sarcoids. The patient recovered from surgery uneventully and has had no regrowth of the mass or trouble breathing post-operatively to date