Excisional biopsy and radiotherapy for management of an olfactory neuroblastoma in an axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

CASE DESCRIPTION A 4-year-old sexually intact male leucistic axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) was presented with a 2-week history of dysrexia and difficulty swallowing. CLINICAL FINDINGS Physical examination revealed a 1-cm-diameter intraoral mass on the rostral aspect of the palate and swelling of the left nasal fossa. Local invasion into the left nasal fossa was suspected during oral examination. The lesion was marginally excised, and an incompletely excised olfactory neuroblastoma was diagnosed histologically. Five weeks later, physical examination revealed persistent erythema, delayed healing of the rostral portion of the palate, and a mild facial deformity associated with a white mass in the nasal cavity. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME 6 weeks after excision, adjuvant electron (6-MeV) beam radiotherapy was initiated for treatment of the incompletely excised olfactory neuroblastoma and likely presence of a recurrent mass. The protocol consisted of 4 weekly fractions of 8 Gy each (total, 32 Gy) with the axolotl under anesthesia. No acute adverse radiation effects were noted following radiotherapy. The oral erythema resolved after the third session. No recurrence was observed 2 months after treatment, and the owners reported no abnormal signs at home. The axolotl died 3.5 months after radiotherapy was completed (8 months after marginal excision of the tumor) secondary to an environmental management failure. Postmortem histologic evaluation showed no evidence of neoplasia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE In axolotls, olfactory neuroblastoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intraoral palatal masses. This report describes the first application of radiotherapy for treatment of an olfactory neuroblastoma in an axolotl.

Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma: a case report

<p class="abstract">Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma (TCS) is a very rare malignant neoplasm of sinonasal tract with intermixed teratomatous, carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. While the diagnosis is largely based on tissue analysis and immunohistochemistry, the mode of management demands further study. Surgical resection with or without chemotherapy and radiation therapy is currently the most accepted treatment regimen. Locally aggressive, while also associated with metastatic lesions, SNTCS is not easily resectable owing to its location and possible intracranial extension. Due to its aggressive nature over one-third of TCS tend to recur leading to treatment failure with a mean survival time of 1.9 years. Possible differentials include squamous cell carcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, adenocarcinoma, malignant mixed tumor of salivary gland type, undifferentiated carcinoma, malignant craniopharyngioma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, transitional carcinoma of Schneiderian type and adenosquamous carcinoma. In this report, we present a case of TCS in a 55 years old male patient who presented to us with complaints of hyposmia, blurring of vision, diplopia and epiphora.</p>