Intra-abdominal mass aspirate from a cat in heat

A 3-year-old intact female domestic shorthair cat was presented for the evaluation of a palpable intra-abdominal mass in the left caudal abdomen. The cat had a history of anorexia, depression and prolonged estrus over a period of about 1 month. Smears prepared from a fine needle aspirate of the mass revealed large round to oval cells arranged individually or in loose clusters surrounded by pink, fibrillar matrix material. Cytoplasm was basophilic, with many variably-sized vacuoles and variable numbers of small purple granules. The vacuoles within the cells were strongly positive with Oil-Red-O stain. The cytologic features were most suggestive of a neoplasm of epithelial cell origin or inadvertent aspiration of a fatty liver. At laparotomy, the mass was found to involve the left ovary. Histologically, the tumor consisted of dense sheets and nests of irregular polyhedral, pleomorphic cells with abundant, finely vesiculated cytoplasm. The tumor cells were separated into lobules by strands of connective tissue. Based on histologic evaluation, a diagnosis of ovarian luteoma was made. In this report, we document the cytologic and histologic features of an uncommon feline tumor, a luteoma, and address its possible misdiagnosis as hepatic lipidosis when using cytology alone to make a diagnosis.

Granulosa theca cell tumor with luteoma in the ovary of a bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata)

A mass was identified on the left caudal region of the abdomen in a 13-year-old bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata). The mass was excised and diagnosed as granulosa theca cell tumor accompanied with luteoma based on the microscopic findings. Morphologically it appeared pink, round, firm multilobulated measured approximately 5 x 3 x 2.5 cm in dimension. Histologically the luteoma composed of polyhedral cells with pale strained vacuolated cytoplasm, centrally located nuclei with distinct cytoplasmic borders. Granulosa theca cell tumor appeared as densely packed spindle shaped fusiform cells arranged in interlacing bundles and whorled pattern with neoplastic cells appearing irregular shaped solid sheets. The concomitant development of granulosa theca cell tumor with luteoma in a single ovary is very rare and is the first reported case in a bonnet macaque to our knowledge.

A gonadotrophin dependent stromal luteoma: a rare cause of post-menopausal virilization

A stromal luteoma is an uncommon ovarian tumour in post-menopausal women, which presents rarely with hyperandrogenism and virilization. We present the case of a 64-year-old woman referred for evaluation of virilization which had developed over 5 years. Testosterone, FSH and LH were markedly inhibited following the administration of a GnRH analogue, suggesting a gonadotrophin dependent, testosterone secreting ovarian tumour, which could not be localized with imaging techniques. Surgery revealed normal sized ovaries with no apparent lesions, but microscopic examination showed a small stromal luteoma in the right ovary and severe stromal hyperthecosis in the adjacent and contralateral ovarian stroma. We conclude that stromal luteoma is an uncommon cause of virilization in post-menopausal women. This case illustrates, to our knowledge for the first time, that a stromal luteoma is not autonomous but is gonadotrophin dependent.