A congenital periocular leiomyosarcoma in a dairy calf

A mass was removed surgically from the right orbit of a 1-d-old Holstein calf. Grossly, the mass filled the rostral part of an enlarged orbit and compressed the globe toward the caudal pole of the orbit. The brown, 6-cm tumor had central yellow and brown areas, and a smooth, glistening cut surface. Microscopically, the neoplasm was highly cellular and composed of spindle cells arranged in irregular, broad, interlacing streams and bundles, forming a herringbone pattern and supported by a sparse collagenous matrix. Neoplastic cells infiltrated surrounding soft tissues and compressed the globe. The neoplastic cells had positive immunolabeling for α-smooth muscle actin, desmin, and vimentin, and negative immunolabeling for factor VIII, myoglobin, cytokeratin, and skeletal muscle actin. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry results confirmed a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma. To our knowledge, congenital periocular leiomyosarcoma has not been reported in cattle previously. This rare tumor could be included as a differential diagnosis in newborn calves with periocular masses.