Congenital amelanotic melanoma in a crossbred heifer calf

A large, pedunculated cutaneous mass protruding from the left flank fold and an enlarged left prefemoral lymph node were found on examination of a 3-d-old crossbred Aberdeen Angus heifer. The calf was asymptomatic aside from peripheral lymphadenopathy, and the mass, along with the left prefemoral lymph node, was surgically excised. Histologic examination of the mass and the lymph node revealed a homogeneous population of neoplastic cells that stained positively with immunohistochemical stains S100 and melan A, supporting a diagnosis of congenital amelanotic melanoma with nodal metastasis. Two months later, the calf became acutely recumbent and was euthanized after clinical examination revealed widespread metastasis. Gross autopsy revealed widely disseminated metastases that involved vertebral bodies, spinal cord, heart, kidneys, lungs, oral mucosa, multiple lymph nodes, and the marrow cavity of several long bones. Our case serves as a reminder that, although rare, congenital neoplasms occur in bovids and have the potential for aggressive, metastatic behavior.