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Diagnosis | Cystic mammary gland hyperplasia and neoplasia

Lab Animal volume 38, pages 260–261 (2009)Cite this article

Noninfectious cystic mastitis occurs in breeding and non-breeding does and has been associated with epithelial hyperplasia, adenosis, papillomatous changes, uterine hyperplasia, mammary dysplasia and adenocarcinoma of the mammary gland and uterus3,4. Many of these conditions were seen in this rabbit. Diagnostic work-up of this case could have included evaluation of the rabbit's prolactin levels because hyperplasia or adenoma of the anterior pituitary cells can result in increased release of prolactin. Sustained elevation of prolactin can result in mammary gland hyperplasia and milk production, which in a non-nursing rabbit can result in chronic, non-infectious mastitis or mammary gland dysplasia4 and eventual neoplasia5. The histological finding of hyperplasia of the pituitary acidophilic cells strongly suggests that prolactin levels may have been abnormally high in this rabbit.

Differential diagnoses for mammary gland enlargement with or without discharge in rabbits include staphylococcal mastitis6,7, cyclosporine A–induced hyperplasia8, familial mammary tumors9 and testicular interstitial cell tumor–induced gynecomastia10. We treated the rabbit with antibiotics when the mammary discharge was first noted, but cytology of the discharge and subsequent bacterial cultures did not support the diagnosis of an infectious etiology. Thus, antibiotics were discontinued. Furthermore, there was no history of exposure to potentially toxic compounds, ruling out cyclosporine A–induced hyperplasia. Moreover, as the rabbit was female, we eliminated testicular tumor–induced gynecomastia.

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Figure 3: Photomicrograph of the mammary glands in Figure 2 showing cystic mammary gland hyperplasia and neoplasia.
Figure 4: Photomicrograph of the mammary glands in Figure 2 showing papillary cystadenocarcinoma.

References

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff at the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for histopathology services and the staff of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Biologic Resources Laboratory for hematology and microbiology services.

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Diagnosis | Cystic mammary gland hyperplasia and neoplasia. Lab Anim 38, 260–261 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0809-260

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