Tumours of the nasal cavity*

XX. Tumours of the nasal cavity * H. STONZI 1 & B. HAUSER2 Tumours of the nasal cavity are rare in domestic animals, most cases occurring in the dog. Epithelial tumours are the most common type in carnivores (dogs and cats). In general, the same types oftumour occur in domestic animals as occur in man. There was no significant predisposition for breed in dogs, but in both dogs and cats far more males than females were affected. Metastases occurred only rarely. Tumours of the nasal cavity are rare in animals and the number of published cases is surprisingly small. Most of these cases have occurred in the dog. However, metaplasia of the surface epithelium of the nasal mucous membranes is often observed, and these metaplastic foci may be the origins of neo- plastic proliferations. The mean age of dogs with nasal tumours is 9.7 years for epithelial and 8.1 years for mesenchymal neoplasms. This classification is based on necropsy cases. The Zurich collection of nasal tumours was reinforced by additional cases submitted by other collaborating laboratories. The total number of cases studied is shown in Table 1. Some very rare tumour types, Table 1. Nasal tumours of domestic animals Tumour type Dog Cat Cattle Horse Total Tumours of: surface epithelium 21 6 0 2 29 glandular epithelium 17 1 0 0 18 undifferentiated type 17 1 2 0 20 Total epithelial tumours 55 8 2 2 67 Mesenchymal tumours 25 2 7 2 36 Miscellaneous and unclassified tumours 6 2 2 1 11 Total 86 12 11 5 114 * From the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Univer- sity of Zurich, Switzerland. 'Head. ' Lecturer. which we did not see personally but which are described in the literature, are also included in this classification. In our collection of cases, there was neither an obvious breed predisposition nor a significant differ- ence between brachycephalic and dolichocephalic canine breeds. However, a predominance of males is striking in both the dog and the cat, particularly for carcinomas; in our series (including the cases from abroad), 75°4 of the necropsied dogs were male. The small number of nasal tumours in horses and cattle does not allow any conclusions to be made concern- ing breed and sex distribution. In cattle, mesenchy- mal tumours seemed to predominate, whereas in the dog and cat there was a striking preponderance of epithelial tumours. The site of nasal tumours varied considerably. We were not able to draw any conclu- sions regarding the site and duration of neoplastic lesions. Metastases are not frequent since animals are usually destroyed at an early stage of the disease because of the obvious clinical signs (nasal dis- charge, sneezing, dyspnoea, and occasionally asym- metric facial swelling). The prevalence of pulmonary and nasal tumours in dogs does not seem to differ between urban and rural areas a whereas, for exam- ple, tonsillar carcinomas appear to be more frequent in urban areas. The cooperation of Mr K. W. Head, Edinburgh, Dr W. Misdorp, Amsterdam, Dr F. R. Robinson, Washington, DC, Professor J. von Sandersleben, Munich, and Professor E. Weiss, Giessen, is grate- fully acknowledged. a REIF, S. J. & COHEN, D. Archives of environmental health, 22: 136-142 (1971). 3436 -257- BULL. WORLD HEALTH ORGAN., Vol. 53, 1976 H. STUNZI & B. HAUSER HISTOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE OF TUMOURS OF THE NASAL CAVITY I. TUMOURS OFTHE SURFACE EPITHELIUM A. PAPILLOMA B. SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (EPIDERMOID CARCI- NOMA) C. SPINDLE CELL CARCINOMA D. TRANSITIONAL CARCINOMA (INTERMEDIATE CARCI- NOMA) II. TUMOURS OF THE GLANDULAR EPITHELIUM A. ADENOMA B. ADENOCARCINOMA III. UNDIFFERENTIATED (ANAPLASTIC) CARCINOMA IV. TUMOURS OF THE SOFT (MESENCHYMAL) TISSUES V. TUMOURS OF BONE AND CARTILAGE VI. TUMOURS OF LYMPHOID TISSUE VII. MISCELLANEOUS TUMOURS VIII. UNCLASSIFIED TUMOURS IX. TUMOUR-LIKE LESIONS DESCRIPTION OF TUMOURS I. TUMOURS OF THE SURFACE EPITHELIUM A. Papilloma (Fig. 1) Papillomas are rare, benign, exophytic tumours formed from stratified squamous epithelium. B. Squamous cell carcinoma (epidermoid carcinoma) (Fig. 2, 3) This is a malignant tumour with obvious squa- mous differentiation. The tumour cells form solid islets or branching cords with occasional central necrosis. Usually there are intercellular bridges recognizable by light microscopy. The nuclei are pale, particularly in the central areas of the islets, and contain one or two nucleoli. The abundant cytoplasm is pink and often finely granular or foamy. Keratinization occurs infrequently and is only slight if present. In the non-keratinizing form, there are often small pseudolumina containing eosi- nophilic material. The stroma often shows chronic inflammation. In one epidermoid carcinoma studied, a few droplets of mucus were seen within the tumour islands; this tumour may therefore be analogous to mucoepidermoid carcinoma in man. It must be noted that some tumours show status spongiosus (oedema of intercellular spaces) and hydropic vacuolation of the cells. Special stains are needed to distinguish these spaces from mucin droplets. In carnivores, squamous cell carcinoma is the predomi- nant tumour of the nasal cavity. Macroscopically, these neoplasms form white masses divided by scanty connective tissue into irregular lobules. C. Spindle cell carcinoma (Fig. 4, 5) Spindle cell carcinoma is considered to be a type of squamous cell carcinoma. Focal transition to polyhedric or squamous cells may occur. The fusi- form tumour cells form sheets, nests, or branching cords. At the periphery, the long axes of the cells are arranged at right angles to the edge of the mass (palisading), whereas centrally they may form whorls. The cell borders are not clearly visible. Keratinization is usually absent. The stroma may show chronic inflammation. Macroscopically, these tumours form greyish-white masses similar to squa- mous cell carcinoma. This tumour type is not com- mon in domestic animals. D. Transitional carcinoma (intermediate carcinoma) (Fig. 6, 7) This is a poorly differentiated neoplasm of the surface epithelium of the nasal cavity. The tumour cells are closely packed and do not form intercellular bridges; they are often polyhedric and are usually arranged in solid sheets or cords. There is no keratin production; squamous metaplasia may, however, occur in limited areas. Necrosis may be present in the central parts of the tumour. This tumour, which is frequent in man, is uncom- mon in domestic animals. It seems to represent an 258 Fig. 2. Squamous cell carcinoma (dog). I: i:40....1>>.. fi^...... Fig. 3. Squamous cell carcinoma (same case Fig. 4. Spindle cell carcinoma (dog). as Fig. 2). 25 Fig. 1. Squamous papilloma (dog). Fig. 5. Spindle cell carcinoma (dog). Fig. 7. Transitional carcinoma (dog). Fig. 6. Transitional (intermediate) carci- noma (dog). Fig. 8. Adenocarcinoma of the serous glands without mucus production (dog). Fig. 9. Adenocarcinoma of the mucous glands with mucus secretion (dog). Pol,&^; r Fig. 11. Undifferentiated (anaplastic) carci- noma (dog). Fig. 10. Undifferentiated (anaplastic) carci- noma (dog). Fig. 12. Neurogenic(?) sarcoma (cow). %'An. .......... NASAL CAVITY 263 intermediate type between the squamous cell and the undifferentiated carcinoma. There is no relation to the " transitional epithelium " of the urinary tract. II. TUMOURS OF THE GLANDULAR EPITHELIUM A. Adenoma This rare benign tumour consists of exophytic surface epithelium and glandular elements set in a variable amount of collagenous stroma. Sometimes the stroma forms the main mass of the tumour. B. Adenocarcinoma (Fig. 8, 9) Adenocarcinomas are malignant tumours arising from the mucous or serous glands of the nasal mucous membranes. Most adenocarcinomas consist of cylindrical epithelium with ovoid nuclei. The pattern is either acinar or papillary. Most adenocar- cinomas are of the mucous type, and if mucus is retained the glands become dilated. There may be flattening of the glandular epithelium and in extreme cases, such tumours may form a mucinous mass. In the serous type, the glandular lumina contain some proteinaceous material but no mucus. Areas of squamous metaplasia may occur in an adenocarcinoma but these do not warrant separate classification. This pattern is not uncommon in nasal tumours of the dog. Sometimes normal gland acini are trapped in a carcinoma of the surface epithelium, and care must be taken not to classify such tumours as poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with only slight acinar formation. Adenocarcinomas and " adenopapillomas ", pos- sibly of infectious origin, have been reported in sheep. They always seem to arise from the olfactory mucosa. The apparently enzootic nature of the dis- ease and successful transmission with cell-free mate- rial suggest a viral origin. III. UNDIFFERENTIATED (ANAPLASTIC) CARCINOMA (Fig. 10, 11) Undifferentiated or anaplastic carcinomas are composed of round or pleomorphic small cells, which usually form solid masses without any evi- dence of squamous or glandular differentiation. Epithelial arrangement is usually restricted to some periphereal areas of the neoplastic sheets. Abundant mitotic figures and extensive areas of necrosis indi- cate a high degree of malignancy in this tumour type. IV. TUMOURS OF THE SOFT (MESENCHYMAL) TIUES a Soft tissue tumours are not common in the nasal passages of animals. Since they show no particular morphological features, it is sufficient to list the tumour types encountered: fibroma, fibrosarcoma, haemangioma, haemangiosarcoma, and myxosar- coma. V. TUMOURS OF BONE AND CARTILAGE b Osteoma, osteosarcoma, and chondrosarcoma have been encountered. VI. TUMOURS OF LYMPHOID TISSUE C Lymphosarcomas and mast cell tumours were examined. Two of the lymphosarcoma cases, in a young cat and an old cow, were solitary and con- fined to the nasal cavity and drainage lymph node; the third case was part of a multicentric disease syndrome. VII. MISCELLANEOUS TUMOURS Tumours other than those described above oc- cuffed only very rarely in the nasal passages. Two neurogenic sarcomas were seen in dogs, one menin- gioma in a cat (possibly arising from the cerebral meninges but, at the time of necropsy, replacing the ethmoid bone), and one melanoma in a dog. VIII. UNCLASSIFIED TUMOURS IX. TUMOUR-LIKE LESIONS In rare instances, nasal polyps were seen in cats and dogs. Oedematous connective tissue covered by normal respiratory epithelium protrudes into the nasal cavity. A degree of chronic inflammation is usually present. Areas of haemorrhage may be seen. Tuberculosis in the cat, actinomycosis and actino- bacillosis in ruminants, mycosis, and other types of chronic inflammation may lead to granuloma forma- tion in the nasal cavity. a For details see WEISS, E. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 50: 101-110 (1974). b For details see MISDORP, W. & VAN DER HEUL, R. 0. Page 265 of this issue. c For details see JARRETr, W. F. & MACKEY, L. J. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 50: 21-34 (1974). 26