Conference in XVII Congreso de Investigación de Estudiantes de Grado en Ciencias de la Salud. XXI Congreso de Ciencias Veterinarias y Biomédicas. II Congreso de Ciencias Experimentales en el Campo de la Salud

April 3^rd, 2025

de Pablo-Moreno J., Aradilla-Macias N. and Porras N.

Neoplasms in marine mammals are an area of growing interest in veterinary medicine due to their potential impact on the health of wild and captive populations. The identification and characterization of these tumors are essential to understanding their etiology, incidence and possible correlations with chemical carcinogens, genetic or infectious factors, such as oncogenic viruses. Although several tumor types have been described in pinnipeds, information remains limited compared to other species.
We present the case of a common seal (Phoca vitulina) with an ulcerative lesion on the fin, with an initial clinical suspect of cutaneous mycobacteriosis. A mycobacterial PCR punch (direct), swabs for general microbiological culture and biopsy of the lesion for histopathological and immunohistochemical study were performed. The biopsy revealed an undifferentiated sarcoma. Subsequently, the affected area was surgically resected and the whole fin sample was sent for definitive analysis. The final diagnosis confirmed a grade 2 undifferentiated sarcoma, following the classification used in canids.
In marine mammals, sarcomas have not been frequently described in pinnipeds. To date, rhabdomyosarcomas (origin in skeletal striated muscle) or giant cell sarcomas have been reported, however, no previous cases of undifferentiated sarcomas have been documented in seals in the skin. The incidence of these neoplasms in pinnipeds seems to be influenced by genetic factors, exposure to environmental pollutants or oncogenic viruses.
This finding expands the knowledge on pinniped neoplasms, highlighting the importance of histological and immunohistochemical diagnosis as a tool in the differential diagnosis of ulcerative lesions and to describe the tumor origin. Finally, specific tumor classifications in marine mammals correlated with survival times, as is done in other species, are needed to help the veterinary clinician manage the patient`s pathology

	Servicio de Patología y Veterinaria Forense (SAP). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).