Esophageal/gastric leiomyoma in the laboratory Beagle.

In a colony of 306 laboratory Beagles, gastric leiomyoma was diagnosed at necropsy (n = 69) and by biopsy (n = 1). The prevalence in males and females was nearly identical (23% and 22%, respectively). The neoplasm was strongly age related (P less than 0.001) and was seen in 82.4% of dogs aged 17 to 18 years. In contrast to malignant gastric tumors that generally are found in the distal two thirds of the stomach, the leiomyomas were found at the esophageal/gastric junction in 94% of cases. Clinical signs could not be specifically attributed to these masses, though their recognition was important in the differential diagnosis from other more serious gastric neoplasms.