SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE ROSTRAL MAXILLA IN AN ADULT CAPTIVE WHITESPOTTED BAMBOO SHARK (CHILOSCYLLIUM PLAGIOSUM).

An approximately 10-yr-old adult female whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) presented with a smooth, white, irregular, ulcerated, and expansile lesion on the left lateral aspect of the maxillary rostrum. The lesion had short periods of abrupt and rapid proliferation and then remained static for several months. Cytology and culture were nonspecific and did not reveal any discernible etiologic agents or cellular atypia. The lesion was nonresponsive to parenteral antibiotics. One year after the initial onset of the lesion, the ulcer was 10 cm in diameter, a percentage increase in size of 455%. Due to a protracted clinical course and lack of response to medication and supportive care, coupled with an acute onset of neurologic signs and self-inflicted trauma, the shark was euthanized. Histopathology of the mass disclosed a locally invasive squamous cell carcinoma with no evidence of metastasis.