Pleural mesothelioma in a young cat

A mesothelioma was seen as an incidental finding in the thoracic cavity of an eleven-month old female cat. At necropsy, the pale nodular lesions were spread over the ventral parts of the lungs and their corresponding parts of the diaphragm and the thoracic wall. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of mesenchymal tissue with large amounts of collagenous fibers covered by a mainly unilayered, polymorphic, partly vacuolated line of cells with large nuclei. Mitotic figures were rare. Based on morphological appearance the lesion was classified as an early mesothelioma.