BOVINE OCULAR SQUAMOUS CELLULAR CARCINOMA: A REPORT OF CASES FROM THE CALTAGIRONE AREA, ITALY.

Twelve cases of ocular squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in bovine red-pied breed (Simmental), kept in a farm in south Sicily, have been reported. Lesions showed different clinical aspects (cauliflower-shape masses and/or papilloma-like growths), protruding through the palpebral fissure and placed at the level of the nictitating membrane or the sclera-conjunctival junction, or by a cutaneous swelling with a central crateriform area and ulcerations on the periorbital region, involving also the eyelids. Histopathological examination revealed a dermic neoplastic growth characterized by the proliferation of invasive squamous cells arranged in pseudo-cord appearance. The possible relationships between the high prevalence of the condition and the poorly pigmented skin of this breed, the farming system employed and the exposure of the animals to ultraviolet radiation have been analysed. Finally, issues related to the animal welfare have been also considered.