Spontaneous hemangiosarcoma in the spleen and liver of a young rat

Spontaneous hemangiosarcoma in young rats is rare. In this report, we describe a case of a spontaneous hemangiosarcoma in the spleen and liver of young rats. At necropsy, multiple pale red masses were observed in the spleen. Histopathologically, solid growth and haphazardly arranged neoplastic cells were observed, although no characteristic growth pattern was observed. In contrast, irregularly sized small slit-shaped spaces containing erythrocytes were found among the neoplastic cells. Reticular fibers incompletely surrounding the neoplastic cells were observed by silver staining. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the neoplastic cells were positive for vWF and CD34. Electron microscopic examination revealed that the neoplastic cells had erythrocytes in the lumen and Weibel-Palade bodies in the cytoplasm and were arranged along a discontinuous basal lamina. These features indicate that the tumor originated from vascular endothelial cells. Based on these results, the tumor was diagnosed as a hemangiosarcoma in the spleen and liver.