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In this report, the case of a tumourous enlargement of the mammary gland of a 10-year-old, female, Göttingen minipig is described. Noticeable clinical signs were an inflammatory enlargement of one complex of the mammary gland with a teat lesion and a foul-odour, liquid secretion. Further symptoms included reduced general health, with expression of pain, loss of appetite and dehydration. Mastectomy with histopathological examination of the tissue led to the diagnosis of an adenocarcinoma. The pig recovered without complications and was free of symptoms 6 months later., Competing Interests: Die Autoren bestätigen, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Schattauer GmbH.)

Objective: Mammary tumors belong to the most common canine neoplasias. Few data are available on postoperative outcome and independent prognostic value of variables including pre-operatively available parameters such as cytology. The aim of this study was to characterize outcome following surgery and identify independent prognostic factors in canine mammary tumors., Material and Methods: Prospective study in which dogs with mammary tumors underwent surgical tumor removal followed by histopathologic examination of the neoplasias. Kaplan-Meier log rank analysis and multivariate regression analyses were used to evaluate survival, recurrence-free interval (RFI) and metastasis free interval (MFI) as well as independent influence of variables on outcome., Results: 134 dogs with mammary tumors were included. In 126 dogs without distant metastasis, overall survival duration was 1113 d; median RFI and MFI were not reached. Histologic grade showed independent influence on duration of RFI (p=0.040), MFI (p=0.007), and survival (p=0.029). Median survival in benign (n=98), grade 1 (n=10) and grade 2 (n=16) malignant tumors was 1319 d, 670 d, 406 d, respectively. Cytology exerted independent influence on the likelihood for recurrence (p=0.013), duration of RFI (p=0.026) and survival (p=0.030)., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Histologic grade was of independent prognostic significance for postoperative outcome in this population of dogs with mammary tumors. As a pre-operatively available parameter, cytology may also possess prognostic value in canine mammary neoplasias.

77 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded mammary carcinomas and the regional lymph nodes of bitches were examined by immunocytochemical technique, all of them free of metastases in routine HE-staining. To compare the two methods, two serial sections were cut of three parts of the lymph nodes. One was used for incubation with the antibody AE1, which reacts with cytokeratin subtype I/A, the other for staining with HE. From 60 of the 77 bitches we received information about the operation and the follow up study period (surgical method, new tumours, survival rate and causes of death). These data were compared with the immunocytochemical results of the lymph nodes. In 84.4% of all 77 lymph nodes tumour cell embolism and/or micrometastases were detected. Comparing the two methods, we found that with HE-staining it was only possible to detect two thirds of all micrometastases containing more than 50 tumor cells. Smaller micrometastases were suspicious in a few cases, the majority could not be detected at all. In the follow up study there was evidence of a better prognosis for bitches with tumours detected in an early stage of growth and treated with radical mastectomy. This was independent of a positive or negative result of tumour cells in lymph nodes. The presence of cancer cells in lymph nodes was only important, if either the tumour was treated in an advanced stage or only single complexes or tumour nodes were extirpated. These dogs often showed metastases in the lung.