Rhabdomyosarcoma in the abdominal cavity of a 12-month-old female donryu rat

Neoplasms of skeletal muscle origin are very rare in the rat. Recently, we experienced a case of rhabdomyosarcoma as a white mass involving the junction of the esophagus and stomach in the abdominal cavity of a 12-month-old female Donryu rat. Histopathologically, the neoplastic cells composing the mass invasively spreaded from the lamina propia to the tunica serosa in the stomach as well as the esophagus. Although the neoplastic cells varied in appearance, pleomorphic atypical cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm were prominent. Some tumor cells were stained blue with phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin. The nuclei of spindle-shaped neoplastic cells were arranged longitudinally like beads. Multinucleate giant cells and mitotic figures were also frequently observed. Immunohistochemically, these neoplastic cells were positive for desmin and myoglobin, whereas they were negative for alpha-smooth muscle actin. Taken together these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as a pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma, probably derived from the muscle layer of the lower part of the esophagus. This is the first report of rhabdomyosarcoma in a Donryu rat.