Microchip-associated sarcoma in a shrew (Suncus murinus)

A 16-mo-old female house musk shrew (Suncus murinus) with a 1-wk history of a rapidly growing subcutaneous mass in the interscapsular region was euthanized and submitted for necropsy. Macroscopic examination identified an irregular, well-demarcated, solid, tan-white subcutaneous mass. A small cavity containing a microchip device was present at the center of the mass. In addition, massive splenomegaly was evident grossly. Histologically, the subcutaneous mass comprised spindle cells arranged in a storiform pattern of interweaving bundles, consistent with a high-grade soft tissue sarcoma with multifocal necrosis. Immunohistochemical investigation suggested that the neoplastic cells were positive for neuron-specific enolase and (rarely) α-smooth muscle actin and negative for cytokeratin, desmin, S100, and vimentin. In light of the mesenchymal histopathologic phenotype and the lack of specific immunoreactivity pattern, the mass was considered to be most consistent with a poorly differentiated sarcoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a microchip-associated soft tissue sarcoma in a shrew.