Atypical clinical presentation of a metastatic gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma in a bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

摘要

Ultrasound revealed the presence of three coelomic masses and a nodular aspect of the liver in a three-year-old, male bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) with anorexia. Histological examination revealed neoplastic cells consistent with a neuroendocrine origin and gastroscopy demonstrated the presence of an ulcerative gastric lesion. Based on these findings, the presumptive diagnosis of neoplasia consistent with a gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma with multiple metastatic implants was made. Necropsy and subsequent histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma. In the present report, the occurrence of gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas in bearded dragons, presumably a highly underdiagnosed neoplastic disorder in this lizard species, is emphasized.