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Case Reports
. 2020 Mar;32(2):344-347.
doi: 10.1177/1040638720906451. Epub 2020 Feb 21.

Mandibular squamous cell carcinoma in 2 psittacines

Morgan A Halley  1   2   3   4   5 , Justin M Stilwell  1   2   3   4   5 , Jessica R Comolli  1   2   3   4   5 , Stacey L Wilkinson  1   2   3   4   5 , Drury R Reavill  1   2   3   4   5 , Stephen Divers  1   2   3   4   5 , Joerg Mayer  1   2   3   4   5 , Daniel R Rissi  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Mandibular squamous cell carcinoma in 2 psittacines

Morgan A Halley et al. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

A unilateral, malformed gnathotheca in a green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus) was managed for 16 mo with periodic beak trims. Biopsy of the affected beak did not identify an underlying cause; however, at postmortem examination, a densely cellular neoplasm invaded the mandible from the beak, dissecting and effacing the cortex and trabecular bone and inciting periosteal proliferation. There was no evidence of metastasis. Neoplastic cells were strongly immunopositive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, consistent with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A black-headed caique (Pionites melanocephalus) was presented with a similar clinical history, timeline, and gross appearance. Biopsy of the mandibular portion of the lesion resulted in a diagnosis of SCC. Medical management with toceranib at a palliative dose resulted in adverse side effects and was discontinued. Early diagnosis of mandibular SCC may allow for early intervention and development of treatment modalities. Our 2 cases suggest that the mandibular bone, not the beak, may be a preferred biopsy site in the diagnosis of mandibular SCC in psittacines.

Keywords: black-headed caiques; macaws; mandible; squamous cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Ulcerative-to-proliferative lesion at the right gnathotheca of a green-winged macaw.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Irregularity of the right gnathotheca caused by mandibular squamous cell carcinoma. The mandibular surface is rounded and mottled by periosteal proliferation (arrows).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Subgross photomicrograph of the gnathotheca-mandibular junction in a green-winged macaw with mandibular squamous cell carcinoma. Gnathothecal keratin (B) is markedly degenerate and disorganized (arrowheads); the neoplasm is limited to the mandible (M), invades the cortical and trabecular bone (arrows), and incites periosteal proliferation (asterisk). H&E. Bar = 2 mm.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Mandibular squamous cell carcinoma in a black-headed caique. Marked areas indicate biopsy sites with positive (O) and negative (X) detection of the neoplasm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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