Sinonasal chondrosarcoma in a llama

Abstract

A 14-y-old intact female llama ( Lama glama) was presented for evaluation of a right maxillary swelling of 3-mo duration. Clinically, the animal had mild nasal discharge, abnormal retropulsion of the right eye, and moderate gingival disease. An incisional biopsy of the maxillary mass revealed pleomorphic and mitotically active neoplastic spindle-to-stellate cells organized in haphazard lacunae embedded in abundant chondroid matrix. Given the poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Postmortem examination and sectioning of the head exposed a large solid, white, firm mass that vastly expanded the right infraorbital region, extending to the maxilla, effacing the right nasal conchae and ipsilateral zygomatic bone. Collectively, postmortem dissection, cytology, and histopathology of the primary mass supported a diagnosis of sinonasal chondrosarcoma. To our knowledge, this entity had not been reported previously in this species and should be considered a differential for facial deformities in New World camelids.