Survey of canine and feline follicular tumours and tumour-like lesions in central Italy

Between January 1985 and June 1997, a total of 4005 skin biopsies were rece ived from dogs and 898 from cats. Follicular tumours and tumour-like lesion s together represented 10.4 per cent and 8.1 per cent of all skin tumours i n the dog and cat, respectively. The prevalence of tumour-like lesions, suc h as follicular and dermoid cysts, dilated pore and focal adnexal dysplasia , was highest, representing 41.2 per cent and 68 per cent of all follicular lesions in dogs and cats, respectively. In the dog, follicular tumours wer e distributed as follows: trichoblastoma (25.6 per cent of all tumours and tumour-like lesions), infundibular keratinising acanthoma (14 per cent), pi lomatricoma (13 per cent), trichoepithelioma (3.9 per cent) and tricholemmo ma (2.3 per cent). In the cat, the distribution was 26 per cent for trichob lastoma, 4 per cent for trichoepithelioma and 2 per cent for pilomatricoma, Tumour-like lesions and infundibular keratinising acanthoma in the dog wer e mostly located on the trunk, trichoblastoma and tricholemmoma on the head , and pilomatricoma on the neck, In the cat, both tumour-like lesions and t richoblastoma were frequently present on the neck and head.