title: Cervical Vertebral Body Chordoma in a Cat.
abstract: A 9-year-old, neutered female Maine Coon cat with a 6-week history of progressive ataxia was diagnosed with a cervical vertebral body mass using magnetic resonance imaging. The mass displaced and compressed the cervical spinal cord. The cat was humanely destroyed and necropsy examination confirmed a mass within the second cervical vertebral body. Microscopically, the mass was composed of large, clear, vacuolated ('physaliferous') cells. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells expressed both cytokeratin and vimentin and the final diagnosis was a cervical, vertebral body chordoma. This is only the third report of a chordoma in this species and the first in this location. Chordoma should be considered as a potential differential diagnosis for tumours arising from the cervical vertebrae in the cat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Pathogen Biology, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, UK. Electronic address: rhampel@rvc.ac.uk.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hampel
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taylor-Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Pathogen Biology, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, UK.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Priestnall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D002415:Cats; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002817:Chordoma / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: cat; chordoma; vertebral body