Equine ocular mast cell tumor: histopathological and immunohistochemical description

This report describes an ocular mast cell tumor in a 13-year-old female sport horse. Clinical examination revealed a solitary firm mass located in the ocular mucosa, protruding from behind the left lower eyelid. The lesion was surgically removed and submitted to histopathology. Microscopically, the mass was composed of sheets of well-differentiated neoplastic round cells circumscribed by delicate connective tissue. Positive Giemsa and Toluidine Blue staining confirmed the presence of cytoplasmic granules. Neoplastic cells showed strong membranous and mild diffuse cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for c-KIT and a low KI-67 proliferative index. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of ocular mast cell tumor was made. Six months after surgical removal, no evidence of ocular lesion recurrence was detected.