Spontaneous hepatocellular carcinoma in captive prosimians

Spontaneous hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported as a relatively common neoplasm in prosimians; however, the cause is unknown. To investigate possible pathogenic mechanisms, the authors performed a review of all adult animals from a captive prosimian population that had postmortem examinations over the past 10 years. They performed a detailed histologic evaluation of all suspected proliferative liver lesions and diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma in 14 of 145 lemurs (9.7%). Affected animals ranged between the ages of 6 and 40 years old. The tumors had an unusually aggressive growth pattern for animal species; metastasis to the lungs or mediastinum was evident in 7 of 14 animals. Thirty-one animals-9 with hepatocellular carcinomas and 22 age-matched controls without hepatic neoplasia-were tested to evaluate the relationship between hepatic iron stores (as well as other trace metals) and the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma. There was no difference between the hepatic iron, copper, or molybdenum in lemurs with hepatocellular carcinoma and those without, suggesting that iron is not a key element in the pathogenesis of liver tumor formation. Analysis of 22 serum samples from animals with and without liver tumors indicated no evidence of active infection with a hepadnavirus, the virus family that includes hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis C virus and aflatoxin B1 were considered as potential causes and ruled out owing to lack of associated histopathologic lesions. In conclusion, hepatocellular neoplasia is relatively common in captive prosimians, although previously suspected etiologies seem unlikely.