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Comparative Clinical Pathology

ISSN 1618-5641
Volume 20
Number 6

Comp Clin Pathol (2011) 20:673-675
DOI 10.1007/s00580-011-1215-6
Squamous cell carcinoma in grey mullet,
Mugil cephalus L. (Perciformes: Mugilidae)
Jithendran Karingalakkandy Poochirian,
Natarajan Maruthamuthu, Pramoda
Kumar Sahoo & Thiagarajan
Govindarajan
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BRIEF COMMUNICATION
Squamous cell carcinoma in grey mullet, Mugil cephalus L.
(Perciformes: Mugilidae)
Jithendran Karingalakkandy Poochirian &
Natarajan Maruthamuthu & Pramoda Kumar Sahoo &
Thiagarajan Govindarajan
# Springer-Verlag London Limited 2011
Abstract A case of epithelial tissue tumour on the body of
an adult grey mullet Mugil cephalus L. is reported. The
gross morphology revealed reddish white polyp-like tumor-
ous growth on right side attached to the muscles of the
caudal peduncle region. Histologically, the tumourous
growth was characterised by highly anaplastic epitheloid
cells intermingled with fibroblasts, blood vessels and few
necrotic cells, probably originating from skin tissue. There
was no internal metastasis as observed from histology of
other tissues. The tumour was diagnosed as squamous cell
carcinoma with unknown etiology.
Keywords Neoplasms
.
Squamous cell carcinoma
.
Mugil
cephalus
.
Mullet
Introduction
Neoplasms or tumours are often reported in fresh, brackish-
water and marine finfishes. In cultured fish specimens, the
history and etiology of the tumour is seldom known, nor is
it important to establish malignancy or otherwise, since
surgical intervention is not normally a consideration under
the regimen of fish health management. However, reports
on known or unknown factors contributing to tumour
formation include viruses, bacteria, chemical or biological
toxins, physical agents, hormones, the age, sex, genetic
predisposition and immunological competence of the host
(Roberts 2001).
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a malignant neoplasm
of squamous epithelial cells that affects both higher and lower
vertebrates including fishes (Mawdeskey-Thomas and Bucke
1967; Pulley and Stannard 1990; Hafner et al. 1993; Latimer
1994; Green and Harshbarger 2001; Oros et al. 2004).
Among fish, SCC has been reported in rainbow smelt,
Osmerus mordax (Herman 1988); rudd, Scardinius eryth-
rophthalmus (Hanjavanit et al. 1990; Hanjavanit and
Malcahy 2004) and oscar, Astronotus ocellatus (Rahmati-
holasoo et al. 2010) besides other related neoplasms like
lipoma (Easa et al. 1989) and tumour-like formations in
olfactory organs of mullet, Mugil cephalus (Byankin 2001).
A case of spontaneous neoplastic case of unknown etiology
is reported here in an adult broodstock of grey mullet (M.
cephalus).
Materials and methods
Case history
The 3-year-old adult Grey mullet (M. cephalus) broodstock
specimen (weighing 625 g and total length 41 cm)
originally collected as a juvenile fish from wild near
Chennai and grown in cement tank (10,000 l capacity) for
the captive broodstock development programme of the
Institute was submitted alive with a tumour-like mass of
tissue growth projecting laterally on the right side attached
to the muscles of the peduncle region of the fish. Initially,
this lump of tissue mass was reported to be small and
gradually grew over a period of 4 months as a fleshy
J. Karingalakkandy Poochirian (*)
:
N. Maruthamuthu
:
T. Govindarajan
Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture,
Chennai, India
e-mail: kpjithendran@yahoo.com
P. K. Sahoo
Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture,
Bhubaneswar, India
e-mail: pksahoo1@hotmail.com
Comp Clin Pathol (2011) 20:673675
DOI 10.1007/s00580-011-1215-6
Received: 21 December 2010 / Accepted: 9 February 2011 / Published online: 3 March 2011
Author's personal copy
reddish white mass resembling a cauliflower weighing
about 49.7 g at the time of examination. The fish was
reared in seawater (2832 ppt, pH 7.8 and temperature 28
30C with artificial pellet diet) in a community tank with
other broodstock numbering ~100 fishes with normal
feeding, routine health monitoring and prophylactic treat-
ment for external parasites using formalin (100 ppm). There
was no known history of any kind of injury or subjected to
any treatments like injections etc. to the fish. This specimen
was active and was feeding normally till its collection
despite the growth.
Physical and macroscopic lesions were recorded. The
fish was brought to the laboratory, euthanized and exam-
ined initially for ecto and endo-parasites. The tumour-like
growth was excised aseptically from the main body using a
surgical blade. Grossly, a polyp-like growth was observed
at the caudal peduncle region measuring 7 cm in diameter.
The colour of the tumour was reddish white. On post-
mortem examination, no internal metastasis or nodular
growth was evident grossly. Wet mounts of skin and gill
smears were prepared and examined for ectoparasites.
Blood samples and swabs from kidney and other organs
were also collected for bacteriological examination. Brain
and spleen samples were collected separately to check for
any viral involvement by screening for betanodavirus and
iridovirus. Tissue samples from tumour-like growth and all
major organs (heart, liver, spleen, gut, kidney and muscle)
were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, dehydrated in
graded levels of alcohol, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at
5 m for light microscopy and stained with haematoxylin
and eosin, following standard histological procedures. All
photomicrographs were taken using an Olympus digital
camera C7070 fitted to Olympus CX41 microscope at 50
and 100 magnifications.
Results and discussion
A multilobular cauliflower-like tumorous growth on the
right side of the fish attached to the caudal peduncle by a
stalk like structure was evident (Fig. 1). A couple of small
wart-like structures measuring 34 mm diameter were also
present above the caudal peduncle on both sides (Fig. 2).
Surgical excision to cut out the tumour revealed that the
1
Fig. 1 Macroscopic view of the lesions associated with tumour-like
growth in grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)
2
Fig. 2 Macroscopic view of the lesions associated with tumour-like
growth and the warts (arrow) in grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)
3
Fig. 3 The mullet fish after surgical excision
4
Fig. 4 The fleshy tumour after removal from fish
674 Comp Clin Pathol (2011) 20:673675
Author's personal copy
tumour was attached to body musculature (Fig. 3). The
excised fleshy mass was highly vascular with multiple
lobes and 49.7 gm in weight (Fig. 4). No lesions were
visible in other organs as post-mortem examination showed
no evidence of infiltration or metastasis into any other
visceral organs. No abnormalities in the visceral organ were
observed except pale liver. Detailed laboratory investiga-
tions for parasitological, bacteriological and virological
etiology did not reveal major findings except mild
infestation of monogeneans on gills.
Histopathological studies revealed normal tissue archi-
tecture in all visceral organs. The tumour-like growth on
histology revealed highly anaplastic epitheloid cells inter-
mingled with few fibroblasts and necrotic cells. The mitotic
figures were less evident. Besides, small blood vessels and
few mucus cells were intermingled in the tumour mass.
There was no internal metastasis as observed from
histology of other tissues. The characteristics of these
neoplasms resembled those of squamous cell carcinoma
(Figs. 5 and 6). However, in the present case, the
pathophysiologic progression leading to sarcoma formation
is not known although the precursor wart-like structures on
the skin is suspected to be the origin.
In fish, the tumour of skin which is visible externally is
among the most frequently reported. Carcinomas have been
reported less frequently than papillomas, but do occur in a
wide range of fish species mainly on lips, oral mucosa,
mandible, olfactory organ etc. (Dhar et al. 2000; Byankin
2001; Rahmati-holasoo et al. 2010). Squamous cell carci-
noma is one of the most common forms of skin neoplasm in
which cells in the epithelial layer of the skin develop in to a
malignant tumour (Fitzgerald et al. 1991). The behaviour of
the specimen was normal but for apparently slower growth
compared to the other fishes in the stock. Other neoplasms
reported among mullet (M. cephalus) with unknown
etiology include multiple cutaneous fibromas (Lopez and
Raibaut 1981) and hypodermal lipoma (Easa et al. 1989).
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Fig. 6 Section of mullet tumour showing pleomorphic epitheloid cells
(haematoxylin and eosin, 100)
5
Fig. 5 Section of mullet tumour showing pleomorphic epitheloid cells
of squamous cell carcinoma (haematoxylin and eosin, 50)
Comp Clin Pathol (2011) 20:673675 675
Author's personal copy