Abomasal and uterine adenocarcinomas with ovarian metastasis in a captive elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)

A captive, 20-year-old female elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) euthanized due to progressive lameness and weight loss was presented to Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for postmortem examination. Within the uterus there was a poorly demarcated, multilobulated mass measuring 10 cm in diameter. Histologically the tumor was an adenocarcinoma. Histologic examination of the ovaries revealed unilateral metastasis. A focal, 1-cm diameter adenocarcinoma was identified within the abomasum; this tumor was histologically distinct from the neoplasm found in the uterus and ovary. Although this elk had a history of experimental reproductive treatments, including leuprolide, gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine, and Brucella abortus vaccination, it was most likely that both tumors represent spontaneous, independent neoplastic transformations and were unrelated.