Surgical correction of the ocular squamous cell carcinoma in crossbred cattle: A case report

Abstract

Bovine ocular squamous cell carcinoma, also known as "bovine cancer eye," is one of the most common tumors in cattle. It has a high rate of occurrence and causes great economic loss. Among many treatment protocols, radical surgery of tumor mass is viable and suitable treatment in benign cases. A three-year-old Holstein-Friesian crossbred cow was presented at SAQ Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh with complaints of a swollen mass on the right lower eyelid, lacrimation, and loss of appetite. Clinical examination revealed a cauliflower-like ulcerated mass protruding from the conjunctival margin of the lower eyelid including the third eyelid with normal vision having no corneal involvement. Based on clinical signs, it was tentatively diagnosed as an ocular squamous cell carcinoma. A surgical conjunctivectomy technique opted for immediate relief using sedation with xylazine hydrochloride (@0.01mg/kg body weight) followed by local anesthesia on standing condition. Histopathological examination revealed a dermic neoplastic growth characterized by the proliferation of invasive squamous cells arranged with a pseudo-cord appearance. Marbofloxacin 2mg/kg body weight for five days, flunixin meglumine 2.2 mg/kg body weight, and pheniramine maleate 1mg/kg body weight for three and seven days respectively were administered postoperatively. The owner was advised to use eye drops (Moxifloxacin) five drops on the affected eye three times daily for fifteen days. The patient's condition showed significant improvement with normal vision and no recurrence was observed for up to six months post-operatively. The aim of this report was to conclude that surgical excision of a squamous cell carcinoma at or near the eye or at other locations of the body appears to have a good prognosis.