First report of canine mammary gland granular cell tumour: case description and review of the literature

Abstract

The case of a 5-year-old intact female Pitbull Terrier with a granular cell tumour (GCT) of the mammary gland is presented. The dog was admitted for surgical removal of a non-painful lump assumed to be a fibroadenoma. Histological and immunohistochemical findings leading to the diagnosis consisted of polygonal tumour cells with well-defined cell borders and granular cytoplasm, staining positively with neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and protein S100 and negatively for cytokeratin AE1-AE3. Some important points in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to this uncommon neoplasm are discussed. To our best knowledge this is the first case of such tumour in the mammary gland described in the veterinary literature.

Keywords

• canine
• granular cell tumour
• mammary gland