Clinicopathological evaluation of cutaneous fibroma in horses

Abstract

Cutaneous fibroma is a benign neoplasm of fibrous connective tissue that is occasionally encountered in horses often presenting as nodular growths on various body regions. The present study was conducted over a period of one year to evaluate the prevalence, haematological, biochemical and histopathological characteristics of cutaneous fibroma in horses maintained at the Bihar Police Academy, Rajgir. A total of 32 horses were examined, out of which 6 cases were diagnosed with fibroma, indicating a prevalence of 18.75%. The affected horses included both sexes with ages ranging from 16 to 18 years suggesting a higher occurrence in older animals. Clinically, the lesions were observed as solitary or multiple nodular, ulcerated and proliferative masses predominantly located on the lateral body wall involving the paralumbar (flank) and gluteal (rump) regions. The nodular masses were surgically excised under aseptic conditions and the excised tissues were subsequently submitted for histopathological examination. Haematological evaluation revealed mild anaemia, leucocytosis and neutrophilia, indicative of chronic inflammatory response while biochemical analysis showed slight elevation in liver enzymes (ALT and AST) along with increased total protein and globulin levels. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of fibroma, characterized by dense interlacing bundles of well-differentiated fibroblasts and collagen fibres with minimal cellular atypia and low mitotic activity. These findings indicate that cutaneous fibroma, although benign can occur with appreciable frequency in aged horses and may be associated with mild systemic alterations. This study emphasizes the importance of surgical excision followed by histopathological confirmation for accurate diagnosis and effective management of cutaneous fibroma in horses.