A Retrospective Study of 586 Tumours in Brazilian Cattle

SummaryRecords from 6,706 necropsy examinations of cattle performed over a 45-year period were surveyed and 586 cases of neoplasia were identified. The organ system most frequently affected by neoplastic disease (n = 139 cases) was the alimentary tract. This finding was attributed to a high incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the upper alimentary tract associated with the chronic ingestion of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). This carcinogenic plant was also associated with a relatively high incidence (n = 35 cases) of urinary bladder tumours (enzootic haematuria). Tumours of the alimentary tract were followed, in decreasing order of frequency, by tumours of the skin and subcutis (n = 129 cases), haemopoietic tissue (n = 101 cases), the eye and periorbital tissues (n = 88 cases), the urinary system (n = 44 cases), the female reproductive system (n = 21 cases), the endocrine system (n = 16 cases), the liver and pancreas (n = 12 cases), the nervous system (n = 6 cases), the respiratory system (n = 6 cases) and the mammary gland (n = 1 case). The primary anatomical location of 16 tumours was undetermined.