lUpHmted from 

 Cawsi RmAKH, Volume 8, Numboi 12, DacxMBn. 1948 



Tumors of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles* 

 H. G. Schlumberger** and Balduin Luck^ 



(Prom tke Laboratory of Pathology, Sckoot of Mtdkime, Umhorsky of Ptmufhmik, PUUdHpUo 4, Ptmuyhumkt) 



The Study of tumors occurring spontaneously in 

 aninv^l^ and the experimental study of neoplasia are 

 conpleinentary. Stich studies in the past have dealt 

 largriy with tumors in the higher vertebrates, mam- 

 mals and birds; much less attention has been paid to 

 the lower vertebrates, fishes, amphibians, and rep- 

 tiles. But neoplastic processes are ubiquitous among 

 vertebrates, and comparison has shown that tumors 

 in cold-blooded animals are essentially identical in 

 regard to their structure and behavior with the cor- 

 reapooding tumors of warm-blooded animals. Since 

 no comprehensive account of spontaneous tumors of 

 the former group exbts, it was thought advisable to 

 assemble the available literature as a guide to source 

 material and as an aid to future investigations. Thb 

 has been done in the present paper. In a comple- 

 mmtary paper are reviewed the lines of experimental 

 investigation which have been pursued (123a). 



I. TUMORS OF FISHES 



Fishesf are the most numerous class of vertebrates 

 (73). Because of their economic importance, numy 

 i^iecies are caught in vast quantities. During the 

 marketing and pref>aration of the catch for food, any 

 existing tumors are apt to be noticed. For these 

 reasons information about the neoplastic diseases of 

 fishes is more adequate than for amphibbns and 

 reptiles. All the major varieties of tumors that occur 

 in manunals, including man, and in birds have been 

 recorded in fishes. These tumors will now be taken 

 up in the following order: Tumors of epithelial tis- 

 sue, tumors of mesenchymal tissues, pigment cell 

 timiors, ttunors of nervous tissues and hanurtomas. 



TUMORS OF EPITHELIAL TISSUES 



In this group are included: papillonu, adenonaa, 

 ttmiors of dental origin, epithelioma, adenocardno- 

 ma, "tumors" of the thyroid. 



PAPILLOMA 



The most common benign epithelial tumors of 



* This study wu aided by t grAUt irom tbt D oM W Fa 

 datioo. A grant from the National Institutes of Ifailtfc to 

 Dr. Schlumberger has contributed to the coit of 

 tioB. 



*• Now at diio SUte Univenity, Colunbttii 



t In this ravltw ouiiifhtaw for ipodi 

 uMfe; where utemuy tkt oMar mum* oaid ta Ikt nporta 

 hove been replaced. 



fish hitherto recorded are papillomas, which have 

 been reported in at least 16 different spedes (Table 

 1 ). The tissue of origin in all b surface cpklerm;$ 

 papillomas of the viscera have not as yet been ob- 

 served. The tumors vary in appearance; some are 

 finely lobulated, rather flat elevations; others, small 

 rouiul warty growths, and still others, large cauli- 

 flower-like masses. They are usiudly sditary, but 

 multiple tumors are not rare. Histologically the 

 tumors have typical papillomatoiB anaiifuucnts 

 and show no tendency to invade the subjacent 

 tissues. 



Of particular interest are the more common tu- 

 mors, some of which are perhaps transmissible. 

 Among them are the small, multiple, wart-like papil- 

 lomas described by Fiebiger (47). They devdoped 

 in a group of climbing [>erch (Anabas scandetu) 

 which had been kept in the .same aqiurium for two 

 years. The timK>rs were scattered over various parts 

 of the body and ranged in sixe from that of a poppy- 

 seed to a pea. Microscopic examinatkn reveded 

 marked hyperplasia of the epidermb and papillary 

 proliferation of the connective tissue of the coriimi; 

 the latter was heavily infiltrated with letikocytes. 

 Fiebiger called attention to the resenblaiioe of these 

 tiunors to the infectious warts of mammalt. 



Another common tumor was described by Keys- 

 selitz (97) in barbels {Barhus fkniuMis) of the 

 Mosel River. The growths were pea^daed, usually 

 single, round or av^ papillary masses located on the 

 lips; rarely they extended to the adjacent skin 

 Hbtologically, closely packed epithdial masset werr 

 supported by coarse fibrous tiabeculae which ex- 

 tended upward from the corium and were often in- 

 filtrated with leukocytes. Mitoses were absent The 

 nuclei of many epithelial celb contained tme or more 



|Thi«pidMatoof iikMb 



la wycb typkal 

 cnr. Lufi 

 •tsBlMdiiBlkt 

 tlH frit sorfMt wh«t tlMqr 

 teritik of Uw rnkSmmlli^ of 



ofa 



lltt vtffjr kip **cii«tlt* crib. TImm ihopifd 

 ctAi psM vHticamr tinaili wvnal liytn of the 

 tpttrfUcdk. T1« tak of the edi be^jr li 

 keaojiiwom lartiapliMc ifcenoM wyA profctMy h • »• 

 crrtioa of the oeB ratlMv tku Mag cytoplMB. biliMcnfor 

 ol the ciavau Oilila a MoB mkImh itipididl lor a Iftb of 

 dnr qnopluM. DHdM iiiri^llMii of Ike ■■iptilap ol 

 the Mm of Mm an faMd ki the ailldn by Kaao (f«) and 

 OoMiHwr ud riidMr (64). 



657 



